


Stay With Me

by FireflySummerwynd



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:00:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 32,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24107116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FireflySummerwynd/pseuds/FireflySummerwynd
Summary: Finally fed up with being stuck under her greedy, narcissistic, and verbally/psychologically abusive mother's thumb, Maci Buchanan decides it's Time for some drastic measures. She couldn't care less about having any money or a placeta go–she just knows that it's well past Time she got away from her mother. At 26 Years old, there's not much the woman can do to make her stay, let alone come back once she leaves–especially if she wantsta keep her job.Blake Shannon's done a lotta shit in his almost 30 Years, but nothing can beat getting paid to sit on his ass and Travel for work. Maybe being a trucker's not the most glamorous job on the Planet, but he knows he could be doing worse–like having to shovel shit or not have a job at all.So, when he finds out that his good friend Maci's fallen on some hard Times, Blake doesn't hesitate to offer her a hand. Course, he's not expecting the Hare-brained scheme that sparks on his part shortly thereafter, but they can make things work–right? After all, they wooed and wed in haste, although at their own leisure, and hasty marriage seldom proveth well–but surely they can learn to love for all Time.
Relationships: Maci Buchanan/Blake Shannon





	1. Prologue–Get Outta This Town

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this is _absolutely nothing_ like what I normally write–in fact, it's not even a fan-fic, and it's not supposed to be. The basic gist of what sparked this Hare-brained idea the other Night–shit's hitting the fan when it comesta my personal Life, and I guess ya could say I'd rather turn my turmoil into a story, rather than wind up in prison.
> 
> That being said, there's bound to come a Time when I'm not updating _anything,_ including this new story, anywhere near as frequently as I normally do. If and when such a Time arises, I'll post either a chapter that–I hope–will eventually be deleted, or just post it as a separate work to let y'all know what's going on.  
> ~Firefly

“Nope, I’m _soooo_ done with the bullshit, it’s not even funny. Bitch’s gonna learn just how good she had it with me taking care of _her_ fuckin’ house and Animals as much as _I’m_ gonna learn how to survive by practically living off the Land.”

Rolling her eyes as she surveyed her room one last Time, Realynn–or Maci, as she was more well-known–grabbed the final item on her _list,_ if it could be called that. After Years of being stuck under her mother’s thumb–and if not her mother’s, then her _grandmother’s_ –she’d finally made a decision she’d hoped she’d never have to. She was better off being homeless, broke, and unemployed than remaining with the last member of her so-called family that’d anything to do with her.

Having come to the rude realization that her mother was hurting her more than helping her–at least, when it came to long-term planning–she’d decided on packing up what lil she wanted to keep and essentially running away. Being almost twenty-seven Years old, there wasn’t a damn thing her mother could do to make her come back once she left, either. It wasn’t like she was incapable of making decisions for herself–she was still of perfectly sound mind, after all–nor was she still a minor. Should her mother be crazy enough to call the cops on her, the best they’d tell her was that she was a woman grown and had every right to take off for parts unknown, if that’s what she wanted.

With everything she owned and wanted to keep settled in a lil yard work wagon, Maci made sure the door to the house was locked. Even though there was a part of her that wanted to leave all three exterior doors not just unlocked, but standing wide open, she didn’t have the heart to. Her mother mighta ruined _her_ Life, as far as she was concerned, but she wasn’t gonna be petty to said mother like that.

Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves and shore up her Courage, the young woman grabbed the handle of that wagon in one hand, the handle of her handmade guitar case in the other. She didn’t have a clue where she was gonna wind up, or what she’d do once she got there, but she knew one thing–this was the start of a New Life for her. And even if it _wasn’t_ –even if this was her walking into the mouth of the Lion, so to speak, when it came to Death–she’d take it all the same. Even Death was preferable to spending one more second in that house where she wasn’t loved any more than she was appreciated.

“It’s fuckin’ sad that it’s gotten to this point,” Maci grumbled, making a right at the corner on the other side of her neighbor’s house. “But I’ve given all I have, and I’ve nothing left to give–Time to get outta here and at least _try_ to turn shit around before I wind up giving even my Life.”


	2. One–Stubbornness and Stupidity

After about twelve hours of walking, Maci finally found herself nearing Downtown Greensboro roughly eleven miles from where she’d been living. It shouldn’t have taken more than three and a-half hours, but that was when one was walking without being loaded down with anything. Considering that she was loaded down with that wagon of belongings–one of which was a twenty-five-pound amplifier–two guitars on her back, and a third in her hand, she was hauling quite a bit of weight. When one added in her hip absolutely killing her and making her just wanna fall out in a ditch to await Death’s arrival, it was no surprise that it’d taken her longer to manage than an average person.

The point was that now, the young woman was in the next biggest City heading West till she got to that of Winston-Salem, which was easily another twenty-five miles away. Hell, it coulda been further than that and she just hadn’t realized it–she’d never really been that good with measuring distances, she’d readily admit. Either way, she was just glad that she’d taken off so late in the Day that it hadn’t been all that hot since it was only Spring and most of her walk’d been during the overnight hours.

While pondering whether she wanted to head to one of the nearby homeless shelters so she could get off her feet for a bit, Maci realized she was standing near a sign with the City’s name on it. Just so she could document her Travels since she’d blocked her mother on all forms of social media, she decided to snap a selfie that she could upload later. She wasn’t quite sure whether she wanted to or not, and besides, with her phone outta service, she’d to wait till she’d Wifi at her disposal again. In the meantime, she’d just sit on that picture while figuring out exactly what her next move should be for at least the next few hours.

Deciding that she was better off at least getting some Water and a snack, the young woman opted for heading to the nearest homeless shelter. What with North Carolina only recently starting to reopen following the _Godzilla Flu shutdown,_ as she called it, she knew they might not actually let her through the doors. But that was fine by her–after all, her bigger aim wasta get the hell outta this shit-hole State, and with a quickness.

“Ah, hell–why not go ahead and upload that picture?” she muttered to herself once she was at that shelter. “Maybe somebody else’ll get a kick outta my stubbornness and slight stupidity.”

Laughing under her breath as she enjoyed the shelter’s Air conditioning for a bit, Maci managed to access their Wifi. Once connected, she went through a few emails before actually opening up the Instagram app, where she didn’t pay attention to anyone else’s posts at first. She was more of a mind to get that selfie she’d snapped uploaded and just sit back to see what happened once it was. Maybe she’d even be able to catch a short nap before likes and comments started rolling in, if any where gonna at all.

“What the–” she mumbled, feeling her phone vibrate just as she’d settled down to try catching that nap. Unlocking it with a furrowed brow, she was surprised by the notification she saw from Instagram. “Huh, I wonder what _he_ wants?”

Yawning as she opened up the app in question again, the young woman couldn’t help wondering why this particular friend chose now to shoot her a message. She hadn’t exactly gotten close with him before their one mutual interest’d fizzled out, and she rarely heard from him now. Course, that wasn’t exactly unusual since he was a trucker now, so he often couldn’t talk since it wasn’t like they’d traded phone numbers–not that having hers’d do him any good now. Her phone was pretty much nothing but a fancy paperweight without being connected to the network of a carrier, which required money–of which, she’d absolutely none.

 _Are you seriously in Greensboro?_ Maci read after checking her private inbox. Well, that was certainly a surpriseta her, but she couldn’t find it in her to let it go unanswered, especially since he’d know she’d read it.

 _Yeah, I am_ – _why?_ the young woman typed out before quickly hitting _Send._

 _’Cuz so am I,_ came his response mere seconds later. _Maybe we can meet up for lunch while I’m waiting on my load to be unloaded, if you’re not too far away._

 _Or not, unless you’re gonna come to me,_ she responded. _It’d take too long since I’m on foot, so you’d prolly be gone before I got to wherever you’re at._

Her friend was quick to tell her, and she knew exactly where he was since she’d been there plenty of Times with another friend. _So, that last post of yours about running away wasn’t a joke?_

 _Far from it,_ Maci typed out, snorting as she sent the message.

 _Then gimme an address, and I’ll come getcha,_ he responded. _Can’t have anybody in the rig with me unless they’re family, but my boss won’t need to know about taking ya across town._

 _I’m not letting ya possibly get in trouble like that,_ the young woman told him, being steadfastly stubborn. _Besides, I don’t wanna_ stay _in Greensboro_ – _the Intent’s to get the hell outta this Gods-forsaken State once and for all._

 _And I’m not fuckin’ around, Maci_ – _gimme the damn address, or I might tell your mother where to findja,_ her friend shot back.

 _Don’t make me ruin the rest of your Life by forcing my hand with something,_ Maci warned him, even though she gave him the address he was after. _You’ll rue the Day ya did that, if it ever getsta that point, big boy_.

Heaving a sigh of relief as he copied the address that’d just come into his inbox so he could Google it, Blake Shannon completely ignored his friend’s attempt at blackmailing him. Even though he didn’t know her very well, Maci Buchanan’d never struck him as the type of girl to actually go through with such a threat, so he wasn’t gonna think much of it. No, at the moment, his bigger concern was finding out exactly where she was so he could go pick her up to at least have lunch with her.

Part of him wasn’t surprised that the address she’d given him turned out to be for a nearby homeless shelter–it made sense for someone running away from home to go to one of those. What actually surprised him was realizing that it was less than five miles Southwest of where his most recent haul’d brought him to. In fact, provided that traffic cooperated, he could make that short trek in about five minutes, despite bobtailing in a big rig at the moment. And even though he doubted he could get said rig completely down to where his friend was, four or five blocks between there and wherever he could park was nothing in comparison to even a mile, let alone upwards of ten.

Typing out a quick message, Blake let her know that since it’d be at least a couple hours before his trailer was empty and that he was heading her way. He told her not to move a muscle unless she was gonna meet him closer to where Highway Seventy intersected with the road that the homeless shelter she was at was on. He’d just as soon walk to her and help haul her shit back to his rig as make her walk by herself, if he didn’t have to, should he be unable to get said rig to the actual shelter. But as he was heading toward her, he knew he needed to call his boss, ’cuz there was gonna be a Change of plan, if he’d his way about it.

_“Yello?”_

Hearing his boss’ voice on the other End, Blake heaved a sigh. “Hey there, Johnny–it’s Blake Shannon.”

 _“Afternoon to ya, Blake,”_ the older man chuckled. _“What can I do ya fer?”_

“Hopefully not bitch me out,” he said, not in the mood to mince words.

 _“And why would I bitch ya out?”_ Johnny asked, sounding curious. _“Ya done tore up the front End of another rig ’cuz of some dumbass jackknifing in front of ya again?”_

“No, sir–haven’t done anything like that,” the young trucker laughed. “But I’ve a friend I just found out’s in need of some help.”

 _“Now, look here, Blake_ – _ya know ya can’t have anyone in the rig with ya, if they’re not family,”_ his boss told him. _“I can’t make any exceptions, either_ – _that’s a good way to wind up in serious legal trouble, if something happensta this friend, especially if you’re in a wreck.”_

“Damn it, I was hoping ya _wouldn’t_ say that,” Blake sighed. “Well, can I at least pick her up and take her out to lunch? She’s fallen on some hard Times, and I wanna make sure she at least gets a decent meal.”

 _“As long as it’s a cross-town run or something short like that,”_ the older man acquiesced. _“But I mean it, Blake_ – _nothing longer’n that, or I’ll writecha up.”_

“Yessir,” he told him, the wheels in his head already turning. “I’ll just take her to the Subway, or whatever’s in the Walmart I got sent to so I won’t be late getting the trailer back.”

Agreeing that that was a solid enough plan, Johnny was quick to tell him that he needed to go so he could get back to work on the paperwork he’d been filling out and filing away. He didn’t realize that the young buck he’d hired full-Time only about six months ago was up to something ’cuz he’d given him the perfect loophole–if he could get his stubborn friend to agree to it, that is.

The closest he could get to where Maci was, though, happened to be the parking lot of a shopping center a couple blocks down the street. It mighta been a four-lane road, but he knew damn good and well he couldn’t block traffic by parking in one of those lanes for even five minutes. Besides, if she actually agreed to his Hare-brained scheme, he’d need to leave the rig parked for a lot longer than five minutes–and that rig was not only his livelihood, but pretty much his home at the moment. Whether his boss’d rip him a new one for it getting towed or not, he couldn’t afford to possibly lose damn near all his Worldly possessions by letting that happen.

Maci looked up when she heard one of the shelter’s employees start to greet somebody, only to cut herself off mid-greeting. Considering that this particular shelter catered to women and helping them get on their feet–particularly after escaping an abusive situation–men walking in were frowned upon in most cases. But this was one man she recognized on sight, even if she didn’t know him very well when it came to the man he was at heart.

Ignoring the woman trying to run him off, she pushed herself up as she waved, Blake’s eye quickly locking onto her before he turned in her Direction. She couldn’t help a grimace, nor a pained yelp at her aggravated hip really wanting to act up–which felt like somebody was trying to pull that particular joint outta socket. Her friend’s brow furrowed in concern as he caught her once she was upright, but her hip decided on other plans, which made the shelter employee take pause. Apparently, it was safe to assume she realized that even though this was obviously a man, she at least recognized him and–if she was an abused woman–this _wasn’t_ the abuser she was fleeing.

“Whoa, girlie,” he chuckled, gently hauling her against him. “Deep breaths–I gotcha.”

“Thanks, man,” Maci said, shifting her weight onto her right foot. “My hip’s fuckin’ killing me after all that walking.”

“We’ll talk about that in a lil bit,” the young man said, turning his attention to the employee when she walked up. “We’re good here–we don’t need any help.”

“So, you’re _not_ the abuser she’s running from?” she asked, looking curious.

“I told her I was trying to get away from an abusive ex,” the young woman whispered in his ear after pulling him down. “It’s a womens’ shelter, after all.”

“No, I’m not her abusive ex,” Blake laughed as he straightened, playing along with her. “Just a friend who happened to be in the area and is more than willing to help her out.”

 _“Ahhhh,_ I see.” The shelter employee nodded. “Then take care of her, and make her get that hip checked out before she winds up really hurting herself.”

“I’ll be sure to, ma’am,” he promised, grabbing part of her belongings. “Starting with not letting her carry any more than absolutely necessary.”

The young woman didn’t bother questioning him where she could hear, instead preferring to wait till they were outside. “I thoughtcha saidja couldn’t have anyone but family in the rig,” she said once they were outside and headed up Summit Avenue.

“Technically can’t–called my bossta confirm that on my way here,” Blake told her. “Well, not unless it’s something like taking a friend across town for lunch while I’m waiting.”

“Uh, huh.” She shot him a skeptical look, even as she snatched her handmade guitar case from him, which freed up an arm for him to yank her against his side. “WhyddaI feel like you’re about to let out your inner deviant on me?”

“’Cuz ya know me well enough,” the young man snickered. “But let’s get back to the rig before we get into that. I just hope you’re able to make it even a couple blocks without having to be carried.”

“I’ve walked over ten miles in the last fifteen hours or so–I think I can handle a couple blocks, even with my hip screaming at me,” Maci laughed.

Proving to be made of tougher shit than even her friend had originally thought, the young woman managed to make it those couple blocksta his rig. She couldn’t help limping like hell the whole Time, but she somehow managed to keep up with his pace well enough. Course, she was pretty sure he’d shortened his strides a bit since she was already shorter than him, but especially since he knew she was in pain on top of it.

At his rig, Blake unlocked the passenger’s door before grabbing her by the waist and hefting her up so she wouldn’t have to climb the catwalk. He couldn’t help a laugh when she yelped in surprise, even though she was quick to shoot him a thankful smile after planting her ass in the seat. And what a gorgeous ass it was, too–something he hadn’t been able to help admiring when they’d first met as much as in the here-and-now. But he wasn’t so crass as to say so–he already knew how she felt about being stared at, and there was no need to get on her bad side when she was no doubt already fighting a bad mood.

Once she was settled, the young man started handing his friend’s belongings up to her one item at a Time, starting with what he could tell were some kinda instruments. He was pretty sure they were guitars, based on some of her earliest Instagram posts, but he didn’t wanna assume. The cases could be used to store just about anything, after all, so she might not have actually instruments in any of them. In fact, whatever was in those cases might not be anything even remotely Music-related at all, if he were honest with himself.

“Now, I gotta ask,” he said after hauling himself up into the driver’s seat once her belongings’d been handed up to her. “What exactly was your plan to start with?”

“Get the hell outta Dodge as quick as my own two feet’d carry me,” Maci answered without the slightest hesitation.

“With no money to speak of, and nowhere to go–seriously?” The young man looked absolutely flabbergasted.

“Didn’t really have much of a choice, Blake,” she sighed. “That bitch was hurting more than helping me when ya don’t count the obvious like food and shelter.”

“And just what’s that supposed to mean?” Blake asked, looking confused. “’Cuz I’d say she was helping ya quite a bit, if she was providing those and other basic necessities.”

“Look, ya didn’t hear this from me, but I could get her in a lotta trouble with the IRS, if nothing else,” the young woman said. “She claimed me as a dependent on her taxes not one, but two Years when I wasn’t living with her and she wasn’t providing jack shit for me.”

“Ya gotta be shitting me,” he breathed, eyes now wide in shock.

“I saw the paperwork for myself,” Maci told him. “She claimed me as a dependent, even though I was living with my grandmother, ’cuz said grandmother was on disability and didn’t file taxes.”

“Andja didn’t know about that at the Time, didja?” the young man asked, even as he shook his head.

“Nope, didn’t have the slightest idea, or I’d have told her not to,” she answered. “’Cuz now, that’s gonna affect me getting even a dime in financial aid to attempt going back to college, if that’s what I chooseta do, for like–the next two or three Years.”

Blake couldn’t help a wince, knowing damn good and well two or three Years could mean the difference between trying another stab at college and never going back at all.

“But with her income what it is now– _if_ she was telling the Truth about that, that is–I prolly won’t even be able to get food stamps in the meantime,” the young woman sighed, seemingly deflating right before his eyes.

“You’re fuckin’ joking, right?” he asked, his eyes widening all over again.

“Not in the least,” Maci answered. “And from the looks of things, I can forget even _trying_ to get Medicaid to hopefully help with shit like getting my hip checked out, too.”

Now that he knew these things, the young man couldn’t blame his friend for packing up what lil she could and taking off like a runaway, petulant teenager. It wasn’t ’cuz she truly _wanted_ to run away and likely cut off all contact with her remaining family–well, maybe she _did,_ but he’d figure that out later. What was painfully obviousta him now was that she was pretty much left with no other choices, if she wanted some kinda help from anyone, as far as even applying for any kinda financial aid went.

But that just made the idea that’d come to mind after Ending his phone call with his boss solidify even further than it already had. This young woman was no doubt as stubborn as he was and would have to be sweet-talked into it, but Blake didn’t care what he’d to agree to. If he could get her on board with his idea–and before they left the area they were currently in–he knew damn good and well it’d work out for her in a lotta ways.

“You’re gonna call me crazy, but I think we both already knew I am,” he said, unable to help a chuckle.

“What the fuck’s bouncing around your brain, Wolf?” Maci asked, unable to help using the nickname she’d originally known him as, a smirk curving her lips.

“Well, there’s a way to circumvent what my boss said about taking ya on the road with me,” the young man Began. “And it’ll help _you_ out in a lotta ways, too.”

She couldn’t help the sudden apprehension that settled over her as she gestured for him to continue.

“If we were to get married–” Blake started, only to get cut off almost immediately.

“Whoa, wait a minute– _what!?”_ the young woman practically squawked, her eyes practically popping outta their sockets.

“Just hear me out for a minute, Mace,” he pleaded.

“Ya better make this a good one, Wolf,” Maci grumbled, crossing her arms over her ample bosom.

“If we were to get married,” the young man started again, “it’d circumvent the boss’ rule of no one but family allowed in the rig for more than a trip across town, for starters.”

All she could do was nod as she listened, knowing that by marrying him, she’d technically be his family.

“But it’d also open up the door for me to putcha on my Health insurance that I get through the company,” Blake continued. “Hell, even dental insurance for that matter, ’cuz don’t think I didn’t see your fucked-up teeth already–I just chose not to mention it.”

The young woman couldn’t help flushing in utter humiliation, ’cuz that was one of the things she was most Self-conscious about these Days.

“And since we’re all of a mile from the County Courthouse, it’s not like we couldn’t do it,” he told her, unable to help a mischievous grin. “Wouldn’t be the first Time a couple went with vows in front of a Magistrate or something.”

“Yeah, and who’d be our witnesses for that?” Maci shot back.

The young man’s grin only grew as he said that he could prolly pay off a couple random folksta pretend they were their friends or something. After all, as her pappaw’d loved to say prior to his Death in 2014, money talked and bullshit walked–a lotta folks’d do some weird and even illegal shit for money. It wasn’t necessarily illegal to do that kinda thing, though, but they could easily make sure they were down an alley where no security cameras’d see the money change hands.

Not wanting to get him into some serious trouble, the young woman was quick to veto Blake’s idea of paying somebody off to be their witnesses. All she needed to do was borrow his phone for a couple minutes, and she could think of at least one person who’d do it without having to be paid off. That made him cock a brow, but he was quick to shift in his seat enough to fish said device outta his back pocket so he could hand it over.

 _“Guilford County Sperm Bank_ – _you squeeze it, we freeze it!”_

The young man at her side had to bite his wrist to muffle the laughter that almost ripped outta him at the greeting she got.

“Yo, Bubba–it’s me,” Maci laughed, holding his phone between them so they could both hear clearly.

 _“Damn, got to a phone_ that _quick?”_ whoever she’d called asked with a laugh of his own.

“Ya could say that, yeah,” she answered. “Listen, Bubba–I got a favor to ask ya.”

 _“Better not be sexual_ – _ya know I’m with Sadi now,”_ he drawled.

“Definitely _not_ sexual,” the young woman assured him. “At least, not for you, ya dirty-minded sum-bitch.”

 _“Ya know it, Sis.”_ Laughter followed the affirmation, but was quick to die away. _“So, what kinda favor are we talkin’ ’bout, if it ain’t sexual?”_

“You’re gonna call me nuts, but I’m ’bout to get married–if I can grab a couple witnesses,” Maci answered.

Blake couldn’t help a concerned look when the man on the other End of the line–whom she whispered was Malcolm–practically choked on something. He’d no way of knowing if the other young man’d choked on food, something he was drinking, a drag off a smoke, or even his own spit–but he knew he’d choked on _something,_ judging by the coughing fit that suddenly erupted. Luckily for them, he was apparently able to clear out his airways and settle down, if him seemingly clearing his throat was anything to judge by.

 _“Sis, are you off your fuckin’ rocker?”_ he finally asked. _“You’re the one who told_ me _not to get married for my fuckin’ kid’s sake a few Years ago!”_

The young man at her side cocked a brow, but she mouthed that she’d explain it later.

“Do ya really want me to answer that, bro?” she asked instead. “’Cuz I think we both already know what my answer is.”

 _“All right, fine_ –don’t _answer that particular question,”_ Malcolm chuckled. _“But where the hell’d this come from? I know we’ve been outta touch for the longest Time, butcha haven’t mentioned seeing anybody since we got back in touch.”_

“The long and short of it–a different friend’s willing to help me out with what I was telling ya about,” the young woman said.

 _“Oh, that running away from Kat ’cuz of the financial bullshit.”_ It was a statement, not a question.

“Yeah, _that_ bullshit,” Maci confirmed with a nod he couldn’t see. “Well, he technically ain’t supposed to have anybody in his rig, if they’re not family–”

 _“So, you’re gonna get married just to get a ride to East Bumfuck, Nebraska or wherever?”_ Her friend couldn’t help a laugh. _“That’s as bad as when I married Salem for Asher’s sake!”_

“Well, that’s not the reason _I’m_ doing it, if it happens at all,” she told him matter-of-factly.

Naturally, Malcolm wasn’t about to bite his tongue on what she meant, which made her shoot a grin to the young man still biting back laughter next to her. He knew damn good and well that–as reckless and impulsive as the girl he called one of his best friends could be sometimes–she wouldn’t do something like _this_ purely on an impulse. In fact, she was about as against marriage altogether as it got, so he knew she’d to have a better reason than just getting a ride somewhere to agree to this Insanity–he just didn’t know what that reason could possibly be.

“Wolf’s already said something about it opening up the door to me getting Health insurance through him,” the young woman explained. “’Cuz in being his wife–”

 _“He could putcha on_ his _Health insurance,”_ the other young man said, starting to sound Enlightened. _“All right, I can get that_ – _but who’s this_ Wolf?”

 _“Hiiii,”_ Blake drawled, unable to help himself anymore.

 _“Who the_ – _”_ her friend started, only to get cut off by the young woman.

“That was Wolf, the lovable goofball,” Maci laughed. “I’m kinda sitting in his rig with him since he insisted on coming to get me, and it’s _his_ phone I’m using.”

“Ahhhh, _I gotcha now,”_ he chuckled. _“Now, whose Hare-brained idea was this again?”_

“That’d be mine,” the young trucker told him. “And no, she didn’t know about it till I picked her up–I’d to call my boss and see if I could talk him into letting me take her along for the ride without doing anything drastic on my way to get her.”

 _“And I’ma assume the answer was_ no,” Malcolm dead-panned.

“Naturally.” He snorted as he rolled his eyes. “But he made the mistake of reminding me about the company rule that says no one but family in the rigs with drivers, and since we’re all of a mile from the Courthouse…”

 _“Wait, seriously?”_ the young man asked, sounding surprised.

Laughing, Blake told him that he’d Googled the address she’d given him to pick her up from, and he’d realized pretty quick just how close they were to the Courthouse. That was actually what’d made his Hare-brained idea first pop into mind, but seeing how much pain she was in just made him wanna help her out even more. Being told by that shelter employee to make sure she got her hip checked out really cemented it, ’cuz he knew he couldn’t really do much to get her the proper care without being able to add her to his Health insurance.

With the entire picture now painted for him, so to speak, Malcolm was quick to agree to being one of their witnesses. Having lived in Guilford County for the last several Years–not to mention gotten married in the same County once already–he told them they were gonna need two witnesses. Luckily for them, he doubted it’d be hard to talk his own girlfriend into it, and if not, he’d put in a call to one of his numerous siblings for them.

From there, he warned them not to even head to the Courthouse without at least $200 in cash, or some way to do an electronic transaction, if they weren’t gonna go old-school and pay by check. Sixty of it was gonna go on the marriage license itself, and they were gonna need a separate amount to pay the officiant. Whether that was an ordained minister or simply the Magistrate, it didn’t matter–there was still a separate fee, either way. But as long as they’d their packet from the Register of Deeds, the money, and their two witnesses, they could pretty much get married on the spot. Considering that was what both wanted, they were more than willing to make sure they’d all those things and anything else they could possibly need, too.

Now able to End the call, Maci handed her suddenly-Intended’s phone back to him, a bit of an uncertain look on her face as she looked at him. She wanted to be damn sure he knew what he was getting into, and not just in a legal sense, by going through with this. Her biggest thing–and she doubted he was gonna like hearing this–was that she didn’t want sex to be involved, even after they’d tied the knot. It wasn’t about whether she wanted it or not, or how well she did or didn’t know him–she simply had no Intentions of _staying_ married after she got relatively closeta where she wanted to go.

And whether it was Blake or some other man, she didn’t have it in her to just disappear so that he couldn’t serve divorce or annulment papers later on down the road.


	3. Two–Hasty Marriage Seldom Proveth Well

“By the Power vested in me by the State of North Carolina, I now pronounce y’all man and wife–ya may now kiss your bride.”

Blake’d really paid only enough attention to be able to respond with the proper phrase at the right Time throughout the small, not-so-intimate wedding ceremony. His mind was still on how the woman he was now technically married to had pretty much put the kibosh on any and everything intimate while they were waiting on her friend and his girl. There was no way he could deny being attracted to Maci any more than he could deny being biologically male, if he didn’t want folks questioning his Sanity. And he knew damn good and well she was equally attracted to him–she’d told him so, herself on a couple occasions in the Past.

So, even as he leaned down to give her that kiss–just to keep up appearances, he told himself–he wondered what her _real_ reason for that was. Did she really Intend to have their marriage annulled at the first available opportunity, and she didn’t want anything getting in her way when it came to that? After all, they always said in the olden Days that a marriage wasn’t completely legal till it was consummated during one’s wedding Night.

As the newly-wedded couple broke so they could have a few pictures taken and essentially just wrap up, the young man shoved that particular question to the back of his mind. If he could manage it, he’d the Intention of catching her friend alone for a few minutesta ask him a few things about her. Malcolm seemed like he knew her pretty well, so maybe he could give him some tips on getting along with his new, errant bride, if nothing else–which’d always come in handy.

“Hey, Malcolm?” Blake said as they headed through the Walmart he’d finally gotten back to, only to find that the stock crew was finishing up with his offload.

“Yeah, man–what is it?” the younger man asked.

“Mind if I ask ya a few questions about Maci?” he countered, a slight nervous note to his voice. “Ya seem like ya know her a lot better than I do.”

“Yeah, I guess ya can,” Malcolm answered. “Just try not to let it get _too_ personal.”

“I wasn’t gonna ask anything like whether you’ve ever had sex with her or not,” the young trucker chuckled. “Not my business, whether either of ya want me to know or not, as far as I’m concerned.”

“Thank God,” he laughed.

“My first question, though–why would she put the kibosh on anything sexual right off the bat?” Blake asked curiously. “And I’m only asking that ’cuz she’s told me right to my face on a couple different occasions that she’s attracted to me, but she basically said that I wasn’t allowed to come near her with any sexual Intent.”

The young man who walked alongside him looked at him appraisingly, cataloging every lil feature about him from the Dark, shoulder-length hair he wasn’t sure was straight or wavy to the eyes every bit as Dark as his best friend’s. He wouldn’t say this guy was bad-looking, even if he didn’t look like he coulda stepped off the cover of a magazine or anything like that. But if there was one thing he knew about Maci, it was that she tended to be more attracted to the blue-eyed blondes, rather than the stereotypical _tall, Dark, and handsome,_ as it were. Course, this guy wasn’t particularly tall, _per sé_ –not in the sense of being a six-foot-something giant, that is–but rather about average for a guy.

“Well, if I know her half as well as I think I do, your looks prolly have at least a lil to do with it,” Malcolm admitted. “And I don’t mean that, as in ya fell outta the top of the Ugly Tree and hit every branch on the way down, either.”

“Then what _do_ ya mean by that?” the young trucker asked, looking torn between being offended and cracking up.

“Not saying _I’d_ fuck ya, if I were a chick or a gay dude, but you’re not necessarily bad-looking,” he told him. “But Maci tendsta have more of a thing for blue-eyed blondes than any other Color combo.”

“I don’t think that’s it, honestly,” Blake said. “Again, she’s told me, herself that she’s attracted to me.”

“Then maybe you’re one of the few exceptionsta the rule for her,” the young man chuckled.

“Maybe so,” he agreed. “Which means there’s gotta be more to it.”

“How much has she toldja about her younger Years?” Malcolm asked curiously.

“Admittedly, not that much,” the young trucker answered. “That she’s had a bad track record with guys and Romance, and that’s about it, if ya don’t count that she’s not cut out for military Life and loves Music.”

“Then ya didn’t know she’s a former rape victim?” he asked.

“Oh, I knew about that,” Blake laughed, grabbing things he needed as they went. “I just didn’t know if _you_ did or not, so I wasn’t gonna mention it.”

“Didn’t find out till recently, I’ll admit,” the young man chuckled. “But yeah, that’s prolly got a lot to do with it.”

“I don’t think that’s all of it, though, as much as she’s flirted with me before,” he sighed. “Still, it’s something to keep in mind, regardless.”

Finally realizing he likely didn’t know a key factor of his new wife’s Past, Malcolm decided he needed to clue him in. “If she barely toldja about having been raped, I’ma assume she hasn’t said much else about her Past.”

Shaking his head, the young trucker was all ears as they continued working their way through the grocery End of the store. He figured he might as well stock up on some non-perishable essentials while he was waiting on that offload to be finished up since he was already here. Besides, he needed to stock up on some food for his bride, considering he wasn’t just gonna leave her stranded here–not after going so far as to marry her so he could even take her with him.

Even still, Blake was surprised when the young man walking with him admitted that he was one of her ex-boyfriends–and one of the guys who’d done her dirty in the Past. He almost wanted to clean his clock before throwing him in front of his rig to run him over, but one big thing stopped him from going on a murderous rampage. The pain and remorse he saw in his eyes made him realize that he really and truly regretted hurting the young woman he’d just married only an hour or so ago. In fact, it almost looked like he Wished he could go back in Time and have a do-over so he could avoid making certain mistakes, and therefore losing the best damn thing that’d ever happened to him.

Choosing to ignore the homicidal look in the young trucker’s eyes, Malcolm nodded as they turned down the aisle full of quick meals. He explained how he’d been attracted to her for nearly a Year, but she’d been spoken for when they’d first met, so he’d kept his distance. Practically the second she’d turned up a single woman, he’d jumped on his chance and asked her out–only to meet a side of her he hadn’t suspected even existed.

There was a side of her that was a lot more open, loud, and boisterous at home than the side of herself that she’d shown at school. Not only that, but she was actually a bitchier person than he’d have ever thought she was when they first met compared to what he saw at school. He hadn’t been able to handle such a drastic personality shift, and he’d decided that they were better off just being friends–but not before breaking her heart. Sure, he coulda broken up with her quite a bit more kindly than he had–or simply not asked her out at all–but he’d been an idiotic teenager as much as she had.

“It didn’t help that she went from one relationship straight into another, no recovery Time between ’em,” he sighed.

“She’s never struck me as quite that impulsive, either,” Blake mused.

“Maci’s not really impulsive as much as lonely, I’d say,” the young man explained. “She pretty much raised herself, alone in her room, so she’s always wanted to make friends more than anything.”

“All right, that explains not exactly being shy, but certainly being reserved,” he said, nodding.

“But between that, all her problems with Romantic relationships, and never getting the kinda Love she needed from her family as a kid…” Malcolm veritably growled, which took him by surprise. “If there’s one thing she’s desperate for, but absolutely terrified of, it’s Love.”

The young trucker was even more surprised than he’d been when he’d growled moments earlier.

“Maci wants Love so bad, she can fuckin’ taste it–but she’s too terrified of it, ’cuz every Time she starts opening up, she winds up getting hurt by whoever she’s interested in,” he revealed.

“Well, I can safely say that–while I might not be in Love with her now–I’ve no Intentions of hurting her,” Blake assured him. “Not unless she asks very, _very_ nicely, that is–but that’s a totally different story.”

The young man cocked a brow at him, then seemed to get it. “I’ma guess it involves _alternative practices?”_ he asked.

“We can go with that, yeah,” he answered. “Especially while we’re in public.”

“Suits me, if we don’t _ever_ talk about it,” Malcolm chuckled. “Not my cup of tea, and I’ve told her that before.”

Laughing, the young trucker started up toward the front of the store so they could find their women and get checked out. He certainly couldn’t deny that this particular chat was at least a lil Enlightening for him, even if he wasn’t quite sure how to use the Knowledge he’d gained. Then again, this was the kinda shit he doubted Maci’d tell him on her own–and if she _did,_ it wouldn’t be till months after she’d managed to get their marriage annulled.

As they were trying to find a relatively short line, Blake was surprised when the young man turned to him and gave him a tip he wouldn’t have thought of. He told him to pay close attention to the songs his new wife listened to at any given Time, ’cuz they could give away a lot about her. Whether they were raunchy as hell, depressed or otherwise chock full of Emotion, even hinted at a Dreamer’s hideaway, they could all give away her moods or even what she wanted at Times. In Essence, they could give away whether she was in a good or bad mood as much as her facial expressions could. That’d help him figure out if she was receptive to him even trying to hold her hand, let alone convince her to give in and turn her back on her no-sex rule.

Just as he was about to finish up his transaction, the young trucker looked up and saw Malcolm’s girlfriend, Sadi, dragging his new wife over to them. They didn’t exactly have the cart they’d grabbed loaded down, but he knew damn good and well he was about to spend a pretty penny on her. Course, he was more than willing to spend whatever was necessary on her–he just hoped it wouldn’t be in such big chunks for a while. And the only reason he said that was the fact that he’d just spent a lil over a hundred bucks on their wedding and was no doubt about to spend just as much on supplies for her.

“Whew,” he said, unable to help a laugh as they got their bags loaded back into their carts. “I think we might be making a pitstop in West Virginia to drop some of this off, if a load takes me near home, sweetheart.”

“Whyddaya say that?” Maci asked curiously, her brow cocked at him. “I’ve already toldja, I’ve no Intention of _staying_ married.”

“’Cuz it’s prolly gonna be a month, at best, before I manage to getcha added to my Health insurance,” the young trucker answered. “So, like it or not, we’re gonna _have_ to stay married at least that long, if ya wanna get shit like your hip checked out.”

Even Malcolm wasn’t surprised when she grumbled under her breath.

“Hey, I’d speed up the process, if I could,” Blake told her. “But that part’s outta my hands.”

“I know, I know,” the young woman sighed, letting Sadi get her cart moving for her. “Doesn’t mean I’m looking forward to it since I never wanted to get married in the first place, though.”

“Fair enough,” he agreed. “Just like I don’t have to like our pre-nuptial agreement that we made in front of these two and the Magistrate.”

Maci didn’t say a word as she followed him back out to his rig, her limp even worse than it’d been earlier that afternoon.

“Look, ya can’t really blame me,” the young trucker chuckled. “Being on the road all the Time makes a guy get lonely and needy.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” she grumbled, rolling her eyes. “Doesn’t matter how attracted to ya I am–you’re not using me as a living dick sheath.”

Blake shot a look at her friend that clearly said, _See? I_ toldja _she admitted she was attracted to me!,_ which just made the young man bite his lip as he grinned. Still, he could tell this was gonna be one tough shell to crack, if he ever managed to at all–he’d already known his new wife was stubborn as hell, but this proved it. If she was willing to say something like that in front of her best friend and his girlfriend, it meant he was gonna be fighting an uphill battle.

Outside the back of the store at his rig, Maci let her new husband boost her up into the cab so he could start handing bags up to her. She was a bit surprised when he told her to go on to the sleeper, considering that she’d settled in the passenger’s seat earlier. His reason for telling her that was quickly revealed, though, when he stepped aside to let Malcolm boost the other woman up into the cab.

Sadi settled in the passenger’s seat, leaning out enough to take bags from both of them as they handed them up to her. From there, she passed them back into the sleeper, where the newly-wedded woman’d settled on the bottom bunk so her left leg was stretched out. It certainly made sense, given that it kept her from pulling her leg weird by trying to lean out the door or anything, so she was honestly thankful for their forethought. After all, she was more of a mind to get as many of their purchases put up as possible so she could finally grab something to eat, considering what she’d in mind for the Night.

“Ya all right back there, sis?”

Looking up from where she’d been stowing some of their canned goods, Maci nodded in responseta her best friend’s question. “Blake prolly won’t like me in a lil while, though.”

“And why won’t Blake like ya in a lil while?” said husband asked as he hauled himself up into the driver’s seat.

“Depends on how much ya get along with someone floating on a painkiller,” the young woman chuckled.

 _“Uhhhh…”_ Blake looked uncertain as he turned to face her, clearly not quite sure what to make of that.

“I’m not an addict or anything,” she laughed. “But I start floating pretty hard whenever I take a narcotic since it’s not like I take ’em every Day or anything.”

“Where the hell’dja get narcotics, anywhore?” the young trucker asked.

“ER when my front teeth got abscessed last Summer,” Maci answered, grabbing what looked like a miniature leather backpack. “They gave me ten, and I only took three before it was cleared up by the antibiotics they put me on.”

Taking the bottle, he couldn’t resist opening it and counting what he poured into his palm. “All right, that I can believe since I know how to count.”

“I figured that since they technically oughta be thrown away after their expiration date, they might come in handy sometime before then,” the young woman explained. “As bad as my hip’s hurting right now, I know damn good and well even Aleve’s gonna be like a placebo.”

“As long as this ain’t gonna become an all-the-Time thing,” Blake told her, handing her the bottle after Returning the pillsta it. “Every once in a while ’cuz they’re actually necessary is one thing, but I’m not putting up with a drug addict–especially in my rig.”

“I actually don’t like how I feel when I’m floating,” she admitted. “Nor do I like how much they make me sleep since I do enough of that on my own.”

“She’s been like that as long as I’ve known her,” Malcolm chuckled. “Same goes for alcohol, too, before ya ask.”

“Hey, taken responsibly for real pain’s one thing–taking them to fuel an addiction’s another,” the young trucker chuckled.

Before he could say anything else, Blake’s attention was nabbed by a chuckle and somebody knocking on the bottom of the open passenger’s door. Looking down past Sadi’s legs, he realized it was the receiving manager of this particular store, which meant that his trailer was most likely empty at last. Flashing him a thumbs-up, he gestured toward his own door to let him know he was coming down so they could take care of what lil paperwork they both needed to before he could take off.

Filling out and signing said paperwork didn’t take long, and it was during that Time that his new wife bid her friend and his girl a somewhat bittersweet goodbye. Despite seeming like he wasn’t paying attention, he heard her promise Malcolm that–whether with his phone or her own after coming up with a way to pay her bill–she’d keep in touch with him. He couldn’t make out the full conversation, but he thought he caught her saying something like they’d been outta touch for stupid reasons long enough as it was. It seemed like she was hell-bound and determined, and he was hell-bound and determined to help her keep her promise.

As he was turning to climb back into his rig long enough to stow his paperwork, the store’s receiving manager quietly told him that he hoped he wasn’t about to get in trouble. Not sure what he meant, the young trucker cocked a brow at him, but didn’t actually ask since he wasn’t exactly in the mood to waste Time. Chuckling, the guy told him that he’d seen him arrive alone, and he now had someone in his rig with him instead of leaving alone. He made it clear that he wasn’t judging him or anything, but he didn’t want him to get in trouble for doing something he wasn’t supposed to. That made him laugh as he waved off his concern, saying that he wouldn’t get in trouble, even if it took him a while to get in touch with his boss again.

“Maci’s my wife, and company rules say no one but family unless it’s a short trip, like across town,” Blake assured him. “Since I’d the Time while waiting to be unloaded, I told her I’d pick her up so she could go on this next run with me instead of being stuck at home again.”

“Hey, if you’re in town and got the Time,” the receiving manager laughed. “I’m sure it gets lonely out there.”

“Like ya wouldn’t believe, man,” he agreed. “Especially the last couple months when I’ve been turning-and-burning damn near constantly.”

“Well, go get some Time with the missus,” he was told. “Even if it’s just holding hands and chatting while you’re going down the road.”

“I’ll be sure to,” the young trucker said. “Take care, and have a good Day.”

“You, too, kid.”

Climbing back into the driver’s seat as Malcolm and Sadi finally pulled off in the younger man’s car, Blake choseta ignore the older man’s comment about getting some Time with the missus. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that he wasn’t gonna get much of that, no matter what he did, considering this wasn’t anywhere near closeta a Traditional marriage. If anything, it was more akin to the arranged marriages that’d been done in Centuries past for some kinda social or financial gain.

Peeking into the sleeper, he couldn’t help a smile as he saw his new wife already somewhat curled up on her side and knocked out. Well, maybe she wasn’t completely knocked out yet, depending on how tired she was and whether she’d already taken her painkiller or not. Either way, she looked adorable with two pillows between her legsta hold them open a certain amount, her arms wrapped around a third like it was a teddy bear.

Looking out the windshield before glancing down at the ring now adorning his left ring finger, the young trucker couldn’t help but wonder if he’d really made the right choice. But even as he second-guessed himself when it came to things like regretting getting married ’cuz he wasn’t gonna get laid–at least, not with his new wife–he reminded himself of the real reason he’d done it. No matter how trying having such a beautiful woman in his rig wound up being, at least Maci’d get the help she needed in more ways than one–and at the End of the Day, that was the thing that mattered the most.

Two weeks later, on another run through Greensboro that left him delivering a load at the same Walmart as that Fateful Day, Blake’d managed to swing by the Courthouse again. He hadn’t been able to get a copy of his marriage license the Day he’d gotten married, and he’d a helluva Time hiding that from his boss. But even his young wife’d agreed that they ought not tell anyone till he could give a copy of the aforementioned document to Johnny, if only so he wouldn’t still get in trouble for having her in the rig with him. With that document in hand, he wouldn’t need to know she’d been with him all along, rather than he’d wed on one run and picked her up from home on another.

Walking into Dispatch one Morn exactly fifteen Days after his impromptu wedding, the young trucker was glad to see his boss. The man typically made rounds of several different terminals in the area, but this one was the one he’d have to say was his _home terminal,_ as it were. But the thing that really made him glad to see him was that–for the first Time since getting married–he’d his wedding band on and his wife tucked against his side as he walked in. Well, the wedding band was actually a ring she’d said belonged to her pappaw prior to his Death, but it was surprisingly a perfect fit and worked well enough in a pinch.

“Well, top of the Morn to ya, Blake,” his boss chuckled, unlocking his office door. “Who’ve ya got with ya?”

“Can we do this in your office, sir?” Blake asked, giving the dispatcher–who seemed not to be paying attention–a sidelong look.

“C’mon in, kid,” the older man told him, gesturing to go ahead of him.

Nodding, he preceded him into the adjoining office, Maci still pulled against his side.

“So, what’s up, son?” Johnny asked, settling behind his desk after closing and locking the office door.

“I wanted to introduce ya to my wife, Maci,” the young trucker said, unable to help a fond smile.

“Oh, ho?” His boss couldn’t help looking surprised. “And when did this happen? ’Cuz I should hope ya know lying about your marital status on a job application ain’t exactly smiled upon.”

“Two weeks ago–fifteen Days, to be exact,” Blake chuckled, handing over the copy of their marriage license he’d gotten.

“Guilford County, North Carolina, huh?” he asked as he read over it.

“I’m from Greensboro,” Maci laughed. “I’ve been staying with a friend of mine who lived nearby, and we’d a bit of a knee-jerk moment when we got sick of waiting, I guess ya could say.”

“Hey, with everything that’s been going on since January when it comesta all these shutdowns and the constant hauls,” Johnny chuckled.

“She’s been with me the last two weeks–I just didn’t wanna say anything till I’d a copy of the marriage licenseta give ya, sir,” the young trucker explained.

“I’m not gonna say I didn’t Wish you’d told me as soon as she climbed in that rig,” he said as he looked up at him. “But you’re technically _not_ in trouble since–unless it was in your yard or something–ya didn’t let her in it _prior_ to the wedding.”

“Only rig I’ve gotten in before his–even for a cross-town run to get food–was my uncle’s,” the young woman revealed.

Somehow, Blake managed to hide his surprise since he didn’t know much about her, let alone her family.

“Is that so?” he asked, looking interested.

Nodding, she explained how her uncle’d gotten into the business when she was around thirteen, but had been black-balled for a few Years at one point. She couldn’t remember why off the top of her head, but considering she’d been so young and had so lil to do with him–even now–that wasn’t much of a surprise. But after making a comeback in the trucking industry, he liked to say he was actually one of the top trainers for whatever company he happened to be working for at any given Time.

“Last I heard, it was JB Hunt, but I might be mistaken on that,” Maci said. “Or he _was_ with JB Hunt then, but has moved to another company since.”

“Sounds like quite the adventure for at least your uncle,” the older man chuckled.

“Oh, definitely,” she agreed with a laugh. “Taught me a couple things, too.”

“And what’d that be?” Johnny asked curiously.

“That I don’t get along with the top bunk of a rig unless I’ve a giant of a strongman to boost me up–or a ladder since that works, too–and that I’d never survive with a big rig clutch under my foot,” the young woman answered.

“Her left hip gives her a lotta trouble for being so young,” Blake explained. “Hell, she’s had trouble just getting in and outta the rig for the past couple weeks, but she’s stubborn.”

“If I feel like my leg’s about to give out, I’ll let him help me, but if not–fuckin’ forget it,” Maci told him. “I’m too Independent for my own good sometimes.”

“As long as ya know when to ask for help and don’t put yourself into a position where you’re gonna get hurt,” he told her with a serious look. “I keep up some damn good insurance for things like an unavoidable wreck, but I’m not gonna be happy aboutcha doing something like getting in the way of a crew unloading a–well, load.”

“With all due Respect, sir, I used to _be_ one of those crews at Michaels Arts and Crafts,” the young woman quipped with a smirk. “I know some boxes’re heavier than others, and it’s generally best to get the fuck outta Dodge when a pallet’s involved, if you’re not the one in Control of the hand-jack or forklift.”

“I doubt she’ll get outta the rig unless she hasta,” her husband chuckled. “And if she does, she’ll stay outta the way without having to be told.”

Rolling her eyes, Maci said that she was rather fond of retaining her appendages and having a head that was relatively round. If she hadn’t been, she’d have allowed herself to fall off the loading dock at one of the Michaels stores she worked at instead of letting herself fall into the side of the trailer she was helping unload that Day a lil over four Years ago. That, or she’d have done something utterly insane, such as going Sky-diving with no parachute to keep her from quite literally going _splat!_

Unable to help a laugh, Blake told his bossta keep the copy of his marriage license he’d given him, that he’d paid for two when he got that copy. He didn’t need it back since he’d another for his own records–or simply to frame and hang on his wall at home once he finally got there again. That’d just be another week or so in coming, unless things’d died down enough for him to finally get more than twelve hours off.

Looking through his records, Johnny said that things’d finally Calmed down enough for him to actually take a week off, if he wanted to. In fact, considering he’d just gotten married two weeks ago, he encouraged him to take that and a second week off so he could spend some Time with his new wife. While it might not be much of a honeymoon, at least they’d get some quality Time together before at least he’d to hit the road again to keep the loads moving. Before said young woman could get a chanceta argue since he needed the Time off, the young trucker was quick to thank him before saying they’d better head out.

“Look, even if we spend all our Time locked in two separate rooms, I need the break,” Blake told her once they were back in his rig.

“After the last few months, I can only imagine,” she drawled. “Not that I was gonna say anything in front of your boss.”

“Ya kinda looked like ya were gonna, judging by your expression back there,” the young trucker said, boosting her up so they could grab their essentials.

“Just ’cuz I look like I’ma do or say something doesn’t mean I’m gonna,” Maci retorted, smirking at him over her shoulder. “Now, quit staring at my ass and get your shit, ya big lummox.”

“Hey, I can’t help that it’s a gorgeous ass!” he laughed, even as he moved to do what he’d been told to.

“Just ’cuz it’s gorgeous doesn’t mean it wants or needsta be stared at,” the young woman told him.

Now Blake took his turn to roll his eyes, stomping down his libido as he moved to take whatever she handed him from the sleeper. A lotta her Worldly possessions were going to the apartment he technically lived in when he actually had Time off, considering they took up a lotta Space. What with Space in the rig being at a premium as it was, they needed to make as good of use of it as they possibly could, or he wouldn’t have insisted on emptying out her belongings.

After moving said belongingsta his personal car, Maci was quick to settle into the passenger’s seat so she was riding shotgun. She knew he was pretty tired, considering the long couple weeks of being trapped together, but ignoring each other on top of his actual work. If she’d known where they were going, she’d have taken over driving for now, whether he trusted her or not, but since she didn’t–well, she’d just have to sit back and enjoy the West Virginian scenery. Besides, if she paid enough attention, she could make this trip without use of a GPS the next Time they headed home from a run, if he didn’t need to immediately head out with or for another load.

The entire, but short drive home, the young trucker found himself struggling to block out whatever scent he knew was coming from her that was all too appealing. He couldn’t readily identify it, but since it’d never Graced his nose, rig, or car before, he knew it’d to be coming from the woman he’d married. And unfortunately for him, that just made his current predicament even worse than it’d already been to start with.

Pulling into his complex’s parking lot, Blake shored up his resolve to ignore his attraction to the young woman just like he’d been doing. But even as he helped her get their bags and other belongings inside, an idea came to mind that he hadn’t thought of before. He was quick to jot down a note to himself in a language from one of his favorite TV shows and series of books, ’cuz he knew he couldn’t make use of it right now. There was no way he was driving anywhere else without getting some sleep first, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t use that note as a reminder of how to surprise his wife later on.


	4. Three–Queen of His Everything

Over the course of his first week off–which his boss insisted on calling his honeymoon, anywhore–Blake started to get to know more about his young wife without her even realizing it. She often couldn’t sleep unless the Sun was up, even though she professed to need near pitch-blackness to be able to sleep–which’d resulted in getting blackout curtains for her bedroom. Tossing and turning wasn’t all that unusual for her, whether she’d too much on her mind to allow her to sleep, she was horny, or she was in enough pain to make most grown men cry like babies.

But when she _did_ manage to fall asleep, Maci’d a few quirks he wouldn’t have expected–which were as adorable as they were terrifying, in some cases. The Morn after they’d gotten to what was now _their_ West Virginia apartment and he’d gone to check on her ’cuz she still wasn’t up by Noon, he’d barely bit back a girlie shriek. Clutched in her right hand–which he knew to be her Dominant hand–like her very Life depended on it was a pretty big knife, and propped against her nightstand was a fuckin’ Sword.

Now, the young trucker wasn’t afraid of sharp, pointy objects by any means–he actually had quite the affinity for them. He’d just been startled to see them, ’cuz not once in the two weeks they were in that rig together after they’d gotten married had he seen them. The young woman musta been pretty damn good at keeping them hidden within her wagon of belongings, and Gods only knew where she’d hidden them in the rig. And while a part of him’d wanted to creep closer to actually inspect the weaponry, another part of him was too scared of getting stabbed, not to mention a bit saddened at the next Thought that crossed his mind. He didn’t like knowing that his wife felt the need to sleep with weaponry, whether to protect herself from him or someone else.

But in the Time that he spent pondering how to bring up that particular topic to her, Blake managed to focus on something else, too. That first Day back home, he’d decided to get them wedding rings that actually matched–and were a helluva lot better than what they were currently wearing. Maybe doing something like that’d prove to her that he was actually serious about this and start the process of Changing her mind.

“Anything good today?” said wife asked when he Returned from checking the mail.

“Looks like bills and junk mail again,” he sighed as he leafed through it. “Yays–just what I always wanted.”

“Lemme know if anything from UNC ever shows up,” Maci told him. “I’ll decide whether to burn it or not once I open it.”

“Something I need to know about?” the young trucker asked, cocking a brow as he glanced up at her.

“Unpaid bill from that visit to the ER last Summer, unfortunately,” she answered. “Prolly been sent to a collection agency by now, and if Kat was ever right, it’ll never affect my credit report.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that, if half of whatcha say about your mom’s true,” Blake mused, looking back down when he realized there was actually a small package in the midst of everything he’d pulled outta their mailbox.

“Well, even if it _does,_ what the fuck am I supposed to do about it without robbing a bank or marrying a millionaire?” the young woman asked.

“Fair enough,” he acquiesced, his expression doing a one-eighty once he ripped open that padded envelope. _“Oooh_ –hon, c’mere for a minute.”

Wondering what on Earth he wanted, Maci dried her hands since she’d been taking care of a few dishes that weren’t worth running the dishwasher over and crossed the kitchen. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw what were obviously four different ring boxes now on the counter, the rest of the mail seemingly abandoned in favor of them.

The young trucker couldn’t help the grin that crossed his face, and he didn’t bother telling her that he’d cracked them open to figure out which one was which while her back was still turned. Even as she cocked a brow at him, he grabbed the first in the line, which held a full feminine wedding set that he Intended to use only half of. Something about it’d simply _Called_ to him, as his young wife’d say, when he’d found it online the week previous, and he’d known it was perfect. But he Intended to combine it with a wedding band that technically didn’t have its own matching engagement ring to Create a special, personalized combination for her.

Designed to look like a Princess’ tiara, the engagement ring’d what he’d have called a Princess-cut Amethyst Stone in its Center. Flanking either side of it were two round-cut black Stones, and he couldn’t have said exactly what kinda Stones they were supposed to be. Considering that the set was relatively cheap when compared to going to a jewelry store, he doubted they’d have been Black Diamonds or anything of the like, but that didn’t mean they weren’t Black Onyx or something.

Wrapping around half the band of the ring in something similar to an Infinity style were roughly half a dozen Opals. They were every bit as tiny as the two black Stones flanking the Amethyst, and when all three were combined, they gave the ring an even more regal Air than its actual design did. In fact, it reminded him of the Air that seemed to surround his young wife, which kinda made Blake think of her as a Princess in disguise as she hid from her tyrannical, Controlling royal family. But more importantly to him was that–whether she believed him in any Lifetime or not–she was the Queen of his Universe through and through, and he wasn’t gonna let her forget that.

“Wolf, what on Earth?” the young woman asked, sounding shocked.

“I figured we could use something–well, maybe not better, but certainly more special than what we’ve got for wedding rings right now,” he told her. “Not saying getting the Honor of wearing your grampa’s old ring ain’t–well, an Honor, but it’s just not my style.”

“Oh, I kinda figured it wasn’t,” Maci laughed. “But hey, at least I even _had_ a mens’ ring that could be used on such short notice.”

“True enough, which’s why I didn’t argue it,” the young trucker agreed. “But if I was gonna get myself a new ring, you deserve a new set that matches, too.”

“Then why’re there four boxes?” she asked curiously.

“I’m getting there,” Blake chuckled. “I’m having to do this a lil unorthodox, ’cuz I couldn’t get what I wanted any other way.”

_“Mmm hmm.”_ The young woman looked a bit skeptical, but still watched as he grabbed the second box waiting on the counter.

Maci couldn’t help her jaw dropping as her eyes widened in surprise again when he opened it to reveal the ring hidden within. Following the theme of the Intended engagement ring, it was meant to look like a Crown or tiara, but it made her think more so of that which belonged to a Queen, rather than a Princess. And it was dotted with tiny chunks of Amethyst and the same black Stone, which she was pretty sure was either Austrian Crystal or Black Onyx. She knew better than to delude herself into thinking he’d been able to afford anything with Black Diamonds, after all, especially on a trucker’s salary.

Even though she almost didn’t wanna accept either of the new rings, Blake gently pulled the Intended wedding band outta its box. Taking care to be just as gentle, he grabbed her left hand and managed to work off the rings already Gracing her ring finger without dropping the one he held. Only then did he slip the one he’d bought onto her finger, unable to help a smile as he saw that it seemed to be a perfect fit.

With the wedding band on her finger, the young trucker pulled the one he Intended to be her engagement ring outta its box. He left its matching wedding band nestled within as he set the box back on the counter and grabbed her hand again just as gently as before. That multi-jeweled, tiara-shaped ring joined the other one on her finger, and he was relieved when it seemed to be just as perfect a fit. It wasn’t like he’d swiped the rings he’d just pulled off to even remotely figure out their size and base his purchases off them or anything.

“Now I’m kinda scared to ask how ya knew my ring size,” the young woman said, unable to help a schoolgirl-like giggle.

“Actually, I just guessed,” he chuckled. “I’m usually pretty good at eyeballing things like that, and it’s not like ya ever took those other rings off.”

“Not that _you_ saw,” Maci told him with a grin and a snicker. “I never keep _any_ rings on when I’m doing dishes, or about to get in the shower.”

“Is that so?” the young trucker laughed. “Funny, ’cuz I’m the same way–I don’t like my finger feeling wet under the ring when it shouldn’t.”

“That’s exactly why I won’t keep my rings on when I know I’ma be getting my hands wet,” she admitted.

Blake didn’t say a word about how they seemed to have more in common than he’d previously thought as he grabbed the third box.

“Do I wanna know what’s in that one?” The young woman cocked a brow curiously as he opened it.

“Well, I’m not gonna get my wife a new wedding set without getting myself something to match,” he laughed as he got the box open.

Maci’s eyes widened in surprise that was a hair milder than before as she took in the simplicity of what she saw nestled in the black velvet. Almost identical to the ring he’d bought to serve as _her_ wedding band, it was meant to be Crown-shaped, as well. The tips of said Crown spanned about half the circumference of the ring, the ones at the outer edges being the shortest while the ones in the middle were the tallest. Each was capped off by a rounded point meant to mimic the bejeweled ones of her own new wedding band, but seemed more befitting of a guy.

The young trucker grinned as he pulled it out and handed it to her, letting her inspect it better as he worked what was technically a spinner ring off his finger. It seemed she was impressed by the Sterling Silver it was made of, which made it an even closer match to the rings he’d bought for her. Laying her grampa’s ring down on the counter, he missed her Change in expression as she spotted the name of the company he’d bought them from on the interior of the band.

Raising his attention back to his young wife, Blake held out his left hand for her, giving her the chanceta slide it onto his finger like she’d done with the other ring at their impromptu wedding. If she really didn’t wanna do it herself, he wasn’t gonna force her to–he’d no problems with putting it on on his own since it wasn’t like he was an incompetent child. But even still, there was a part of him that was a lil surprised when she actually took his hand and slipped it over the tip of his finger, the Crown points turned toward his fingernail. It wasn’t how gentle she was, as if his hand were that of a china doll she’d break by breathing on it wrong–no, it was more like how she seemed to be warming up to the idea of being married by even doing so.

Now that they’d traded rings again, he turned his attention to grabbing the fourth box, which he knew damn good and well the young woman was curious about. This final piece was something that’d caught his eye when he was looking through both the engagement and promise rings after taking his search online. He’d thought it’d suit his errant bride and her tastes, despite not knowing her as well as Malcolm apparently did.

“I got this one just ’cuz it seemed like something you’d like,” the young trucker said as he pried the box open.

“Really, now?” Maci drawled, her brow once again cocked curiously.

“Seemed like the perfect mix of girlie and macabre to me, judging by some of the shit I’ve seen ya wear in the Past,” he chuckled. “But it gives me a chanceta say something else, too.”

The young woman now looked confused as he finally got the box open and gently plucked out its contents.

“You’re beautiful and delicate, but ever-evolving like a Caterpillar evolves into a Butterfly,” Blake told her, gingerly rubbing a fingertip over the bug shape in question that looked like it was made of Opal. “And I Intend to be there for ya–whether this marriage gets annulled or not–till the Time we need one of these and beyond.”

She couldn’t help a tear finally streaming down her cheek as he caressed the main part of the ring, which was supposed to be shaped like an old-World coffin. “Blake–”

“Don’t,” the young trucker gently cut her off as he grabbed her right hand this Time. “I know I didn’t have to buy _any_ of these, but I wanted to.”

“That’s not what I was gonna say,” Maci chuckled, even as she let him put it on her right ring finger–which proved it to be a perfect fit, as well.

“And don’t go telling me not to be a sap, either,” he told her, grinning. “I can’t help it when it comesta you–I just refrained in the Past, considering what lil you’ve told me about your past experience with guys.”

The young woman couldn’t help chewing her lip for a moment, which made his gaze drop down to her mouth–and caused her to quit when she realized where he was looking.

“I haven’t asked before, and I’m still not gonna now,” Blake said. “But just ’cuz other guys’ve been asses in the Past doesn’t mean I’ve to be now.”

“You’re too good to me for a guy I wasn’t even gonna ask to gimme a ride somewhere,” she told him, unable to help the urge to wrap her arms around him.

Humming as he Returned the hug, the young trucker couldn’t resist his own urge to crane his neck so he could at least kiss her forehead. Course, he wouldn’t deny wanting to actually kiss her, but he wasn’t in the business of pushing boundaries–which was in part due to his interest in those _alternative practices_. That was the only reason he was even remotely surprised when she removed her arms from his waist and wrapped them around his neck, effectively pulling him down to her level.

Maci didn’t have it in her to bite back that second urge as she let her head fall back slightly as it titled a hair to the right. Despite her insistence that they not engage in anything even remotely intimate, she couldn’t help wanting to give him a sound kiss that’d knock his socks off. She couldn’t Begin to express her gratitude–whether it was in English, Italian, or even Elvin–any other way, which was what made her momentarily give in.

Blake was certainly surprised to feel his wife’s soft lips against his own, but he was quick to melt into the kiss as much as she did. Sure, it was a bit harder than it normally wasta stomp down his libido as he marginally tightened his grip on her, but he didn’t bother trying to deepen the kiss. As far as he was concerned, she was the Queen of his Everything, and that’s what he’d Intended to prove to her by doing this. If he gave in to his own baser instincts, all that’d go right out the window by making her think he was after something she hadn’t been willing to give–which wasn’t what he wanted.

Left feeling kinda bad after such an affectionate display, the young woman’d waited till late that Night to grab her laptop. With her husband asleep in his bedroom, she knew damn good and well he’d be completely obliviousta her Intent for a while to come. According to what he’d told her, the statement for the credit card he’d given her wasn’t due for another couple weeks, and with any Luck, even that wouldn’t clue him in before she could turn the tables on him.

Having recognized the company name on the interior of the wedding band he’d bought for himself that afternoon, Maci’d started digging through her bookmarks. She’d made several finds on Vancaro’s website long before they’d wound up married, but she’d never been able to afford any of their products. Everything she found was bookmarked either as research items for stories she wrote and posted online, or for her to go back and enjoy the pictures of later on. While she didn’t Intend to let herself go _too_ crazy, she was pretty sure he’d gotten all the rings he’d bought from there, and she could find him something special on their website.

Looking through all the mens’ rings, the young woman didn’t necessarily Intend to get anything that looked like a wedding band, _per sé_. Course, they didn’t have much that differed from wedding bands, so she decided to attempt finding a design that might somewhat match the promise ring he’d gotten for her. That might be a bit harder than she’d originally anticipated, but that didn’t necessarily mean it was altogether impossible.

Finally, there was a mens’ ring that caught her eye and seemed like it’d be perfect for Blake that kinda played off the theme of her promise ring. Judging by some of his Facebook posts, he was about as goth as it got–which was definitely more so than herself–so black chrome’d work perfectly for him. There was a skull that seemed to be missing the majority of its teeth on the top of the band, which could be said to be an answer to the coffin shape of _her_ ring. But there was also the engraving of a Rose next to the skull’s jaw, which matched the Metal Rose that Graced the bottom of the coffin on her ring. Well, it wasn’t an exact match since the Rose of her ring was black, but it was close enough for her liking, which made her add it to her cart.

“May he _not_ get that statement earlier than anticipated,” Maci whispered, another pair of items added to her cart as she clicked the button to check out a short while later.

_“Mmm,_ Mace?”

Jumping as the soft voice startled her, she looked up to see the very man in question and quickly switched tabs as he headed over to the couch.

“What’re ya still doing up?” Blake asked, yawning as he settled next to her.

“Couldn’t sleep,” the young woman answered. “Ya know how I get sometimes.”

“Doubt it’d be as bad, if…” he started, cutting himself off with another yawn.

“If, what?” Maci prompted him.

“Ah, it’s nothing,” the young trucker told her.

“Oh, don’t gimme that, Wolf,” she retorted. “You’ve something on your mind, or ya wouldn’t have said that.”

Looking at her through sleep-glazed eyes, Blake couldn’t help a chuckle. “I was gonna say ya prolly wouldn’t have so much trouble sleeping, if ya weren’t sleeping alone.”

“Right, and give ya a chanceta try starting something while I’m asleep? I don’t think so,” the young woman said with a snort.

“I wouldn’t do that,” he assured her. “Consensual sleep play’s one thing, but anything else’s another–and since ya just made it pretty clear that you’re not consenting to such a thing…”

“Doesn’t mean I wanna wake up with Wood against my ass all the Time,” Maci grumbled.

“Now that, I can’t help,” the young trucker chuckled. “It’s part of being a guy, after all.”

Rolling her eyes, she decided to bide her Time by checking her Facebook to see what, if anything interesting’d been posted recently. She wasn’t about to make the purchase she’d been aiming for while he could see, even after he leaned over to rest his head on her shoulder. After all, there was no guarantee he’d doze off and _not_ see her make it with his head resting there, and she didn’t wanna take her chances.

It wasn’t long before Blake sat back up, his arms rising over his head as he stretched almost as soon as he was upright. He said he was gonna try to go back to bed, but he wasn’t making any promises on that since being a trucker kept him from ever really having a set schedule. When one added in all the Time Changes from criss-crossing the country more often than he didn’t, it was no Wonder he’d trouble sleeping at Times, himself. Nodding, the young woman told him it prolly wouldn’t be much longer before she at least attempted sleep again, herself and Wished him sweet Dreams.

Once the young trucker was back in his bedroom at the least, Maci switched back to the tab she’d been browsing on before. Luckily, she hadn’t been _away from keyboard,_ so to speak for so long that it essentially cancelled her purchase, so she was able to pick up where she’d left off. She was quick to get all the required information entered before clicking the button necessary to finalize the purchase. Afterward, she stayed up just long enough to wait for a confirmation email, then made sure her laptop was locked for the Night.

Whether she trusted him or not, the young woman didn’t want Blake using her laptop for something innocent and stumbling across her purchase before she could surprise him with two of the items.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so here's a bit of a scrapbook for this chapter. I've essentially recycled the engagement ring and male wedding band from one of the stories in my _Chance Meetings_ series, so I encourage y'all to go look there for those two rings. I do believe it's _Chance Meeting_ where I included those, so I'd start in one of the last couple chapters there for those reference pictures.
> 
> First up for this set's the wedding band for Maci, which I'd normally pair with a different engagement ring from the same company. Unfortunately, it's been taken off the site since last I saw it–I'm guessing just due to a lack of sales, or to rotate inventory as the Seasons Change or something. *shrugs*
> 
> The second is the promise ring Blake bought for her, which I'd totally get for myself, if I'd the funds. Lastly is the ring she Intendsta get for him as a sorta answer to her promise ring, 'cuz I'm saving the other two items in her purchase for a Future chapter.  
> ~Firefly
> 
> Picture of Maci's Wedding Band–https://media.vancaro.com/product/image/s/s/ssj00702016122203-20180728.jpg  
> Picture of Maci's Promise Ring–https://media.vancaro.com/product/image/n/r/nrc0692-2-20191202.jpg  
> Picture of Blake's (Intended) Promise Ring–https://media.vancaro.com/product/image/Q/S/QS0158M-1-0529-20180728.jpg


	5. Four–Every Rose Has Its Thorn

Another week passed, and Maci once again found herself on the open road with the man who’d so suddenly become her husband. She hadn’t been forced to join him for this particular week of runs, as if he’d thought she’d run away at the first available opportunity–she’d chosen to accompany him. If nothing else, it at least kept her from being cooped up in their apartment, not to mention gave him someone besides his imaginary friendsta talk to while he was gone.

The entire Time they were criss-crossing the country again, the young woman couldn’t deny that she found Blake highly attractive. Maybe her attraction to him was heightened since last they saw each other before their wedding, but if it was, she was blaming that on how long it’d been since she’d gotten laid. If she were honest with at least herself, it’d been long enough that she’d actually forgotten what a penis even felt like.

His choice in aftershave, deodorant, or whatever the fuck it was he wore certainly didn’t help her in that department, either. Whatever it was and regardless of brand, she swore she caught hints of Chocolate through the decidedly masculine scent that wafted over to her. And if there was one thing a person _shouldn’t_ tease her with besides nicotine, it was Chocolate–she was a Lifelong, Self-professed chocoholic, after all. But it seemed as if the young trucker Intentionally picked hygiene gear that smelled like that particular candy to entice her into his arms–and maybe he did. Then again, maybe it was just a total coincidence, and he was completely unaware of just what the scent, alone did to her as soon as she caught it.

Sleeping in the top bunk right over his head was simultaneously easy and hard as hell for her to manage, and not ’cuz of needing a boost to even get up there. Part of her loved it, ’cuz it meant she got her own Space in something where Space was at such a premium to Begin with. But there was another part of her that hated it, particularly late at Night when her husband thought she was already dead to the World. Maci’d heard him muffle frustrated groans with his pillow on plenty of occasions–she’d even heard him try to be quiet about bringing himself some relief.

But never once did she even attempt to turn her back on her vow of nothing sexual, not even to give Blake so much as a hand-job.

“All right–we’re all set,” he said as he hauled himself back into the driver’s seat after finishing up the paperwork from dropping off his latest load.

No response from the sleeper acknowledged him, which was a bit odd.

“Maci, ya all right back there, sweetheart?” the young trucker asked, starting to turn to look behind him.

More or less curled up on what was technically _his_ bunk, Maci held her acoustic guitar so her thigh filled what she called the bottom bout. He didn’t even realize she’d ear buds in till she moved to flip her hair over her shoulder, three notes ringing out before she clamped her hand down over the Sound hole. Those same three notes were repeated before she clamped her hand down again, then a third Time before she added a quick double stroke that repeated the first note.

Blake found himself Entranced as he watched and listened, quick to realize that the reason she hadn’t answered him was both ’cuz she was so focused and ’cuz of her ear buds. While he couldn’t make out _what_ she was listening to enough to identify any particular song, he _could_ tell that she’d it turned up loud enough that he doubted she’d have heard him crank up the rig again. Hell, she prolly wouldn’t have heard him yank on the horn, if some dumbass tried to cut him off like had happened a few Times in the Past. The again, maybe she _would_ be able to hear such a thing, but it’d be a bit more muffled than normal and wouldn’t startle her so badly.

It didn’t seem like she made it very far into the song before the young woman muted her guitar again, this Time cocking a brow at him as she reached up to pull her ear buds out. He couldn’t resist giving her a short round of applause, a laugh ringing out when she blushed so becomingly as she set her guitar aside. Or rather, put it in what was obviously a handmade case so she could lock the latchesta keep it safe once they took off.

“That was pretty good, sweetheart,” the young trucker said as she came up front with him. “Why’dja stop there?”

“’Cuz that’s as much of _Hail to the King_ as I’ve been able to learn,” Maci chuckled, her face still pink.

_“Hail to the King?_ Can’t say I’ve ever heard that one,” he said, his brow furrowing in Thought.

“Yeah, ya have–I’ve played it at home more than a few Times,” his wife told him. “Ya just don’t tend to like much A7X aside from _Nightmare,_ so ya just haven’t paid attention.”

“Wait, that’s an A7X song?” Blake looked surprised as he reached up to buckle his seat belt. “I thoughtcha didn’t really like that band.”

“I don’t–they’re more up Bubba’s alley than mine,” she laughed. “But there’s a few songs I like by ’em, and _Hail to the King_ happensta be one.”

“Well, I’ll be damned,” the young trucker chuckled, stomping the clutch so he could throw a Flame in his Dragon, so to speak. “So, what madeja wanna learn how to play it?”

“The riff got stuck in my head one Night a few Years ago, so I started trying to learn how to play it,” Maci answered, buckling her own seat belt. “I tried getting Bubba to help me, but he wanted to whip right through it, Beginning to End, then move on to another A7X song he already knew.”

“I’m guessing that didn’t work out too well,” he dead-panned as he grabbed the gear shifter.

“Not really, considering I’d to break down every slight Change from where Zacky’s part kicked in in the intro up through the bridge and learn ’em separately, then string ’em altogether like ya just heard,” the young woman explained.

“So, what else can ya play?” Blake asked curiously as he slowly took off, careful to watch his mirrors.

“Eh, I started trying to learn the riff of _Monster You Made_ by Pop Evil not long before we got married,” she answered.

The young trucker was surprised when his wife went on to say that, even though it wasn’t perfect, she’d learned most of the bass riff to a song called _Black No. 1_ by Type O Negative. But the bigger surprise for him was when she said she could play the bass riff to Poison’s _Every Rose Has Its Thorn_ like she was the original artist who’d recorded it. He wasn’t that big on Poison–or really any other hair metal–but he actually wanted to hear her play that one once they got back home since she didn’t have her bass with her right now.

Even though her blush deepened even further, Maci waited till they were up to speed before heading for the sleeper again, which made him cock a brow over his shades. He couldn’t take his eyes off the road to find out what she was doing, but he soon heard her plucking at her guitar again. From the Sound of it, she was retuning at least one of the strings, but he mighta been mistaken since he’d to pay attention to the road.

Moments after she apparently got the instrument retuned the way she wanted it, Blake heard a soft rustling, but he still couldn’t take his eyes off the road. He just decided to wait it out, pretty much ignoring his CB radio since none of the call-outs were for him at the moment. But that left his ear open to listen to his wife when she finally started picking out something, easily keeping her rhythm through any bumps in the road they hit. Even though it sounded a lil too high–no doubt due to the instrument she was playing it on–he could tell by that rhythm that it was a bass riff to a slower, ballad-like song.

“I’d clap for ya, if I didn’t need both hands on the wheel,” the young trucker chuckled once she finished the song and joined him up front again.

“I’d rather ya not,” Maci told him, her face still quite the becoming shade of red.

“Well, that was certainly a helluva lot better than I’d be able to do, if I even tried,” he said. “I doubt I could manage that without breaking something.”

“Unless it’s just a string, I’d have to kill ya, if ya broke my bass or either of my guitars,” his wife warned him.

“Yeah, you’ve said they’re pretty special to ya,” Blake mused.

“’Cuz the guitars were my pappaw’s before he died, and my bass was the last thing he bought me before then,” the young woman explained. “Well, maybe not exactly bought–he bought me a Fender _Jaguar,_ which I traded in for what I’ve got now.”

_“Ahhhh,_ I get it now,” he said, nodding as he started downshifting for a stoplight up ahead that’d turned yellow. “Can’t say I wouldn’t be protectively possessive of stuff like that, if I were in those shoes.”

“Well, they’re the last things of his that ever meant anything to him–at least, the guitars were,” Maci revealed. “And I just barely managed to save those and his Fender amp from my uncle and cousin, Emily.”

The young trucker noted the sour note that colored her voice when she said that, and he couldn’t help asking what she meant. After a few moments’ pause, she told him that before they could even hold the funeral and get her pappaw’s urn in the ground, her aunt, uncle, and cousins’d started trying to clean out the house. In fact, Kat swore up and down that her aunt’d tried to make off with family photo albums she’d no right to, and the only thing that’d stopped her was Kat arriving when she did.

If she hadn’t laid claim to that acoustic guitar and the lone electric one, as well as the aforementioned amplifier, they’d be somewhere in the Appalachians. She honestly didn’t think her cousin woulda kept them for very long after the man’d died, and if she did, it prolly wouldn’t have lasted long after she got her memorial tattoo for him.

Blake couldn’t help a wince at the Thought that her cousin woulda sold or otherwise gotten rid of something that belonged to a man she claimed to love so much prior to his Death. If his wife was right, it was no Wonder she all but hated pretty much all of her family, her own mother included. And the worse they’d treated her personally before she’d run off, the worse her opinion of any given family member woulda been, too. Maybe that was part of the reason she’d ultimately agreed to marry him–her biggest reason was Health-related, but if he’d treated her better than her own family so far, maybe she’d been willing to take a chance that it’d stay that way long after the _I dos_ were said.

Maci admitted that he was definitely right about that, saying that–depending on the family member in question–they’d either treated her like shit, or acted like she didn’t exist. Even the younger half-brother she had through Kat acted like she didn’t exist unless he dropped by the house, which was why she considered Malcolm her brother. None of the bad parts of _their_ Past mattered, ’cuz even if it was just an open ear and sometimes a shoulder to cry on, he tried to help her for the most part. As their conversation slowly died away, the young trucker started to see why the pair were so close, and he hoped he’d be another she wound up that close with.

A mere Day and a-half later, the young woman was pulling into the parking lot of the apartment building she now lived in–when she _wasn’t_ in a rig, that is. Her husband was knocked out cold in his own passenger’s seat, having driven all Night from somewhere West of Kansas City, Missouri. She’d already forgotten exactly where they’d wound up for that last load, but she hadn’t forgotten something entirely unrelated.

Even though she hadn’t mentioned it to Blake, a close friend of hers lived closer to that particular City than she didn’t. She’d been tempted to go hide somewhere till he absolutely couldn’t wait around anymore and give that friend a call for an ass-backwards rescue. Aidan woulda gladly come to get her, even if she barely had a way to provide for herself, but there was one big reason she’d ultimately decided against it. That way to provide for herself woulda eventually ratted her out, ’cuz since the credit card was in her husband’s name, he’d have eventually gotten the statement for it.

That statement woulda shown purchases made around the Kansas City area, and he’d have known exactly where to start looking for her. Once he caught up with her, the young trucker no doubt woulda finally shown just what kinda temper he possessed, and she didn’t wanna find out how bad it was exactly. With that said, Maci’d decided to just check in with her friend and let her know she was doing all right, but that was about it. At least the ones who mattered to her knew she was safe and well-cared for, which was the important thing here.

Once parked in the marked spot that corresponded with their apartment number, the young woman reached over to gently shake her husband’s shoulder. A snort and a grunt answered her before he simply grumbled and readjusted himself in his seat, which made her roll her eyes as she popped the trunk and got out. If he didn’t wanna wake up when she tried being nice about it, she’d just leave him in the car since there was no way in hell she was gonna drag him up three flights of stairs. She wouldn’t say Blake was a total fat-ass or anything, but if he didn’t outweigh her by at least fifty or sixty pounds, she’d eat her own foot. Add being out cold and dead-weight to that, and she’d daresay she’d have an easier Time suddenly sprouting a penis of her own.

“Time to get the spare key back down to him,” Maci sighed after getting their belongings upstairs. “Or maybe help _him_ up here instead.”

Grabbing the scotch tape and a note that she’d written, as well as the aforementioned spare key, she headed back down to the car. Still knocked out in the passenger’s seat, her husband was slouched down so that there was no way he wasn’t putting all his weight right on his tailbone. But if that was the case, he was the one who’d be paying for it later, although she might be nice enough to give him a back rub to help with that.

Careful not to wake him, the young woman slipped the spare key into Blake’s shirt pocket and left a note on his lap so he’d see it when he woke up. That was just so he’d know he wouldn’t have to pound on the door and risk waking her up from the nap she planned to at least attempt once she got back into their apartment. Next came taping the second note to the window before locking the doors and closing his so she could actually head back upstairs. She just barely bit back a laugh as she closed the car door, causing him to shift slightly, considering what she’d written.

_I’ma trucker, and I just got home from a run. Unless I’m not breathing, don’t bother knocking_ – _I turn into a roaring Bear when my nap’s interrupted,_ the note read, purposely written to seem like he’d written it, himself.

* * *

_“Mmmm.”_

Blake moved to stretch without even cracking open his eyes a couple hours later, frowning when he felt his toes hit something. Looking down once he _did_ manage to crack his eyes open, he realized he was still in the passenger’s seat of his car, which didn’t seem to be running. At first, he almost thought his wife’d stopped for gas or something and just left him to sleep while she ran inside to get something from whatever convenience store she’d stopped at.

However, glancing out the window–well, past whatever was taped to it, that is–revealed that he was actually sitting in the parking lot outside his apartment building. Frowning as he reached up, he snatched the piece of paper off his window, forced to blink a few Times before his eyes’d focus enough to read it. Practically as soon as he read it, he let out a laugh and crumpled it up–no doubt that was Maci’s doing before she disappeared.

Another quick glance down at his lap made him notice the piece of paper laying there, and he was quick to realize it was another note. The young trucker quickly read it, too, then checked his shirt pocket when he realized it said something about the spare key to their front door being there. Finding exactly that piece of Metal resting there over his heart, he realized his wife musta already gone upstairs without him. Looking toward the trunk revealed that he musta slept through her even taking their bags upstairs, ’cuz the car was completely empty aside from him. Now he felt kinda bad about somewhat forcing her to have to take care of that on her own as he finally stepped outta his car, where he was finally able to really stretch.

_“Sleeping Beauty_ finally wakes, huh, neighbor?”

Glancing over to his right, he saw the guy that lived right next door. “Yeah, I guess so, Kyle,” he chuckled.

“I dunno who left that note taped to your window, but pass on the kudosta ’em,” his neighbor laughed. “’Cuz they peggedja spot-on when they wrote your interrupted-nap temper.”

“Most likely my wife,” Blake told him, grinning. “She likesta think she’s funny like that.”

“Wait, wife?” The guy looked surprised. “Since when’d _that_ happen?”

“’Bout a month ago,” he answered, holding up his hand. “Been working so much that the bossman practically forced me to take a couple weeks off to spend with her, then it was out on the road again for a couple weeks.”

“Well, damn, man–congrats!” Kyle said, snagging his wrist to inspect his ring. “Pass that on for me, too.”

“Will do,” the young trucker chuckled. “But I’ma get upstairs–I think my spine’s ready to commit mutiny from her letting me stay in the car once we got here.”

Laughing again, his neighbor headed up with him, and the guy made no bones about being curious about his wife. After thinking it over for a few moments, Blake decided to invite him in with him, figuring it’d be good for her to meet at least one of their neighbors. If nothing else, she’d know at least one person she could go to for help, if she ever needed it, whether she was home alone or not.

“Lemme go make sure nobody’s gonna get stabbed, if I try to wake her up,” Blake told him as he gestured toward the couch. “Just make yourself at home for a minute.”

“I _am_ practically home since my own couch’s right on the other side of the wall!” he laughed.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah–ya know what I mean, man,” the young trucker chuckled, disappearing into one of the bedrooms.

“If your name ain’t Blake, ya got two secondsta get out before I throw this bitch,” was clearly heard, even in the living room, moments later.

“Good thing my name _is_ Blake, huh?” he asked, settling on the edge of his wife’s bed.

_“Mmm,_ seems like ya enjoyed your nap,” the young woman said. “Now, go ’way and lemme enjoy my own.”

“Well, I _would_ –if one of our neighbors didn’t have a couple things he wanted to say,” Blake told her. “And besides, I think it’s a good idea for ya to meet at least one of them so ya know who ya can go to for help, if ya ever need it.”

“I’m assuming mostly if and when I chooseta stay home instead of joining ya,” she mused, pushing herself up onto an elbow.

“Pretty much, but even if something happensta me thatcha can’t handle on your own,” the young trucker agreed, nodding.

“Gimme a minute to grab a potty break,” Maci acquiesced.

Nodding his agreement as he made to rise, he couldn’t help his urge to lean forward so he could kiss her forehead before he did. He didn’t notice how her eyes fluttered shut, nor how she held her breath to keep herself from letting out a soft sigh as that gentle contact was made. Taking care not to linger too long, he soon leaned back and pushed himself to his feet so he could head back out to the living room.

As he closed her door behind himself, the young woman almost felt like there was a brand in the Center of her forehead where Blake’s lips’d been. She wasn’t too sure if he was actually trying to get her to redact what she’d said about no intimacy, or if he was just trying to be something more along the lines of a sweet gentleman. He’d struck her as a fairly affectionate and touchy-feely kinda person from the moment they’d met, so it coulda been a fairly innocent gesture. No doubt he knew damn good and well trying to actually kiss her without her initiating it was a big mistake, so he was going with the next best thing.

Then again, it coulda been that her husband really was trying to Change her mind, but didn’t wanna push too hard, too fast. If that was the case, Maci couldn’t deny that he might just succeed–it just wouldn’t be nearly as quick as he prolly thought. She was nothing, if not stubborn and a Lady of her word, which meant that she’d hold out till the Sun ceased to rise again, if need be. But that’d also serve the purpose of determining if he was in this for the long haul, or if he just wanted sex and would turn his back on her once he got what he wanted from her. Should she get the slightest hint that the latter was at play, there was no way he’d get what he wanted–not from her, that is.

Just a couple minutes after Blake’d vacated her room–which was ironically the master bedroom–she finally stepped out and into the living room. Their guest sat on the couch that was turned so his back was to her, so he didn’t even notice her as he conversed with her husband. Said husband was in the kitchen to her right, no doubt pouring drinks for everyone since he knew she’d be a bitch without caffeine. As predicted, he stepped outta the kitchen with three glasses braced against one another so he could carry them all at once.

“What–gonna linger in a doorway like some kinda evil Spirit?” the young trucker chuckled when he noticed her, which made their guest start and turn to see who he was talking to.

“I ain’t evil–just a sadistic bitch,” Maci snickered. “And if I were a Spirit, I’d make the Life of whoever I was haunting a helluva lot more a living hell than I’ve ever made anyone else’s.”

He couldn’t help a laugh as he held out her glass like it was a Peace offering, which made her quite literally purr as she took it.

“Damn, that sounded so fuckin’ real,” Kyle said in Awe as she rounded the couch.

“Grew up around Cats, so I learned how to purr and meow like one pretty early on,” the young woman chuckled.

“Really, sweetheart?” Even Blake looked a bit surprised. “’Cuz I’ve never heardja do either one.”

_“Mreow.”_ She couldn’t help the devious grin on her face as she leaned closer to him, her tone Changing drastically when she did it again, this Time closer to his ear. _“Mreowwww.”_

“All right–enough, or I’ma do something stupid,” the young trucker warned her. He sounded more than a bit uncomfortable as he squirmed, clearly crossing his legs more like women were known for doing.

_“Mrow?”_ Maci was still grinning deviously, even as she cocked her head like–well, a curious kitty.

“Damn, that’s gotta take some talent,” their guest chuckled. “I’ve never heard anyone who can Change the way their meows sound like that.”

“So, I’ma vocal lil bitch–in more ways than one,” she laughed. “I wouldn’t suggest biting me, ’cuz I hit like a dude.”

“No way,” Kyle said. “I’ve never seen a chick hit like that.”

Blake couldn’t resist wanting to put that to the test in retaliation for messing with him–only to wind up slugged in the arm for his trouble. “Shit–that actually _felt_ like I just got slugged by a guy!”

“Toldja, hon,” the young woman snickered. “And I’ve known that since I was in high school, by the way.”

That made the other young man in the room curious as to how old she was, not to mention how they’d met in the first place. Luckily, she was a Mistress of Words, so the fact that she and her impromptu husband hadn’t discussed answering such a question wasn’t a problem for her. While she didn’t go into any kinda detail, she admitted that they’d met when a mutual friend held a get-together they’d both been invited to, and they’d hit it off almost immediately.

Maci could practically feel the young trucker’s relief at what she’d used for an answer, even though he didn’t so much as slump next to her. Like any other kinkster on the Planet, he no doubt didn’t want just anyone knowing that side of him even existed, let alone just how far it went. Then again, if she were honest with herself, _she_ didn’t even know how deep his depravity ran–and she wasn’t sure she wanted to find out.

When it came to her age, though, she couldn’t help a mischievous grin as she dared Kyle to guess how old she was. If he failed to guess after the third try, she’d be more than glad to Enlighten him, ’cuz even she was gonna get annoyed, if she let him keep guessing too long after that. Taking that as a challenge like most folks did–and just like she’d Intended–he took a close look at her, studying each of her features closely. After a couple minutes, he finally seemed to have his first guess, and the young couple were both curiousta see just how close he got.

“I’ma have to say somewhere around twenty-five,” the young man said. “I don’t really wanna go too much higher _or_ lower than that before I make an ass of myself.”

“Good thing you’re pretty damn close,” she laughed. “I’ll be twenty-seven in October.”

“Damn, really?” Kyle couldn’t help a laugh of his own. “I’ve never gotten _that_ close when somebody dared me to guess their age!”

“Yeah, really,” the young woman answered. “Most folks guess that I’ma decade older than I really am, but that’s mostly ’cuz of how I present myself.”

“Whaddaya mean by that, sweetheart?” the young trucker asked.

“As in, I’m highly Intelligent and very well-spoken–even well-written, for that matter–even though I’m obviously no college professor or anything,” Maci elaborated. “I mean, I can use a handful of _hundred-dollar words,_ as my mother’d say, that wind up surprising folks, ’cuz they didn’t think I knew ’em.”

“Now you’ve got me curious,” he chuckled.

“Well, you’re fuckin’ incorrigible, for starters,” she snickered, both men looking confused.

“And what’s _that_ supposed to mean?” Kyle asked.

“The actual definition of incorrigible is _not able to be corrected, improved, or reformed,”_ the young woman answered. “As in, _he or she’s an incorrigible flirt.”_

Neither man could help a short bout of laughter, Blake unable to deny that he could definitely be such when the moment was right. He couldn’t help the roguish grin he shot at his wife, both knowing damn good and well he was guilty of flirting with her, even before they’d gotten married. Said young woman merely smirked and rolled her eyes, knowing that if she didn’t watch it, he’d unleash that inner flirt in a heartbeat.

After a couple hours, during which the other young man passed on his kudos for her note and congratulations on their recent marriage, it was decided they needed to split for the Night. Their neighbor’d to get up early for work the next Morn, and they were both still pretty tired from that most recent run out to the West Coast. In fact, they were both more interested in grabbing dinner and heading off to their respective bedroom for the Night than anything else. What they did once those bedroom doors were closed was entirely up to them, but the one thing Maci was thankful for was that their rooms were on opposite sides of the apartment.

Throughout their quiet, simple meal once Kyle was gone, the young trucker couldn’t help Wishing that he could at least get his wife into his room to cuddle with. Even though he couldn’t help something like waking up with Morn Wood, whether it was pressed against her or not, he at least wanted her in his arms. And he wasn’t stupid–he knew damn good and well she wanted more than she was willing to admit aloud, no matter how hard she tried to deny it.

But just as steadfast as she always was, the young woman still refused to join him in his room, nor would she allow him to join her in hers. If he didn’t know any better, he’d swear up and down–even on his beloved father’s grave–that she was downright scared of getting closeta him. Considering what Malcolm’d once told him about how she pined for Love, but was downright terrified of even the idea, he doubted he was far off the mark. However, he figured that if he played his cards right, Blake’d eventually wear her down enough to Change her mind so he could prove her ideas of men false. Only Time’d tell if he’d actually be able to manage that, and in the meantime, he was resolved to being patient since he didn’t really have any other choices.


	6. Five–Age's Just a Number

It took another week for Blake to be called into the boss’ office when he went in to start his week on the road, his young wife having chosen to stay home this Time. He couldn’t really blame her, ’cuz she always based whether she went with him or not on how she was feeling and how easy it was for her to move. For the couple Days leading up to him having to leave, she’d been limping almost as bad as the Day he’d picked her up from that homeless shelter and married her. Not only that, but she seemed to have trouble with other joints–like flexing her hands, or bending her knees and elbows–on top of it.

The young trucker was relieved when Johnny called him into the office before he could even get the paperwork for his next load, his wife already heading back home. He knew she wasn’t gonna like the nearly five-hour drive back home outside Charleston, West Virginia on top of a drive the same length to drop him off, but it was their best option right now. At least she’d still have his car to use, should she need anything while he was hauling freight and obviously wouldn’t need it, himself.

After settling in the chair across the desk from his boss, the older man told him that his wife’d finally been added to the Health insurance that he got through the company. He advised him to warn her not to use it for stupid shit like a hang nail, ’cuz that wasn’t the kinda shit it was meant for. But if something like an ER visit came up, that was a totally different story–well, provided that the young woman wasn’t too stubborn to go in and be seen before it was too late. Otherwise, it was basically meant to be used for shit like annual physicals or other things within reason so that the amount docked from his paychecks remained reasonable. That was more than agreeable to him, but he couldn’t help his Curiosity as he looked his boss dead in the eye moments later.

“So, what wouldja classify her finding out why she’s so much trouble with her joints?” Blake asked. After all, that was precisely the reason he’d married her–although now his reasons were numerous.

“Oh, definitely within reason,” the older man answered. “After all, that’s gonna affect her quality of Life the same way having pneumonia that prevented her from breathing very well would.”

“Then I can give her a call and let her know so she can _try_ to start finding someone willing to take her on as a patient?” he asked.

“She’s free to do just that, now that she’s officially added to your insurance,” Johnny answered, nodding. “Why–something already wrong?”

“Well, Maci didn’t come with me this Time ’cuz she was having a _lotta_ trouble with her joints over the weekend,” the young trucker explained. “I mean, her hands locked up on her at one point so that I’d to make her lay them out on the counter as much as she could and pound them flat again with my own fist, and she still had problems moving her hands after that.”

“Yikes, _that_ doesn’t sound good,” he told him, unable to help a wince.

“Not when ya add in that she was limping almost as bad as the Day we got married, as well as having issues with bending her knees and elbows, too,” Blake agreed. “And before ya ask, she’d been eating Aleve like candy all Day, both Days.”

“I’m kinda curious whatcha mean by that, son,” the older man said.

“I mean, instead of taking _one_ Aleve pill, she was taking two at a Time,” he clarified. “And she was taking those two at a Time at least three, maybe even four Times a Day.”

“Jesus Christ!” Johnny cried, his eyes widening in shock. “And it wasn’t helping in the slightest?”

Shaking his head, the young trucker told him that the best it seemed to do was reduce her pain, but even that was only marginally. In fact, there’d been a couple Times that she’d been so stiff, or simply in so much pain, that he’d to help her up and to the bathroom like she was far older or had recently been in a bad car accident. What really shocked his boss speechless, though, was when he told him that she wouldn’t turn twenty-seven for nearly three more months.

Blake chuckled as he admitted that that was why he preferred bringing her on the road with him as much as he could, safety and/or company rules be damned. He’d rather have to help her into and outta the rig–not to mention up to the top bunk and back down–so he’d know she was all right and had help when she needed it. After all, it wasn’t a matter of _if_ she’d need it at some point, but definitely a _when_ at this point, as bad as her joints seemed to be. She might be fine and able to get around without any problems one Day, then barely able to get outta bed the next without a moment’s notice.

Johnny now couldn’t blame him for thinking that way, even if he didn’t want someone who wasn’t actually employed by his company getting hurt in a wreck or anything. At least if she were caught up in a wreck, she’d get help for any injuries at pretty much the same Time as her husband. If she fell or otherwise hurt herself at home, she might not be found for hours, even Days–possibly not till said husband Returned from a week on.

“Well, go see if ya can get in touch with her to let her know the good news,” he told him.

“I’ll prolly have to leave her a voice mail since she said she was gonna head out and get as closeta home as she could before she’d to stop,” Blake responded.

“That’s right–y’all live in West Virginia,” the older man chuckled.

“Yeah, and it’s almost a five-hour drive from here,” he said with a nod. “She’s already been in the car for nearly that long to drop me off, and by the Time she gets home unless she stops at a hotel for the Night…”

“Ouch, she’s gonna be sore as shit later,” Johnny winced.

“Maci’s already sore,” the young trucker told him. “Hell, she could barely get outta the passenger’s seat to switch sides so she _could_ leave here.”

“Sounds like she’s gonna be screaming by the Time she gets back home, then,” he said sympathetically.

“If she’s not, it’ll only be ’cuz she’s biting back those screams so she won’t scare any of the neighbors,” Blake told him.

Bidding his goodbyes, he headed out to the dispatcher’s desk so he could actually get his paperwork before continuing on out to his rig. The first thing on his list was calling Maci as he was headed out to said rig, ’cuz he doubted she’d actually answer his call. If there was one thing she _wouldn’t_ do, it was mess with her phone while she was behind the wheel unless she was at a dead stop or on the interstate with no one around her.

Naturally, the young trucker was surprised when she actually answered, although that surprise quickly faded when she told him her phone was paired with the Bluetooth in his car. That was the only other reason she’d mess with her phone while in the driver’s seat and in motion, so there wasn’t really any need to be surprised. As well as she’d memorized the positions of every button on the steering wheel, she could hit the one she wanted at any given Time without really looking down.

The young woman was pleasantly surprised when her husband explained what’d just happened before he could even get his paperwork. If there was anything they’d both been waiting over a month for at this point, it was for her to be added to his Health insurance. Course, if she were honest with herself, she’d almost thought it wasn’t gonna happen, as long as it seemed to be taking. Then again, she was prolly just impatient from having lived in pain more of her short Life than she hadn’t at this point.

“I thought you’d like getting this kinda phone call,” Blake chuckled as he hauled himself up into his rig, thankful for his Bluetooth headset.

_“You’re Blessed right, I am!”_ his wife laughed. _“Means I can at least_ start _looking for someone to try making an appointment with, whether you’re here or not, if nothing else.”_

“That’s pretty much what I told Johnny,” he said. “’Cuz when he specified shit like ER visits and annual physicals, my first Thought was, _Oh, fuck_ – _I better ask if that goes for diagnostic shit, too.”_

_“As much as I’d rather you’d asked first, at least you’d a good reason,”_ Maci told him, a hot Curse flying outta her lips seconds later as she clearly laid on the horn. _“Ya shit-suckin’, rotten son of a still-fuckin’ whore!”_

The young trucker couldn’t help cracking up, the guy who’d been unlocking the rig next to his looking at him like he’d lost his mind. “Well, why don’tcha tell me how ya _really_ feel, sweetheart?”

_“That wasn’t meant for_ you, _asshat,”_ she laughed. _“That was meant for the ass-wipe that just tried to run me into a Center divider.”_

“Well, at least I’d know ya didn’t trade my car’s paint with it on purpose, if that Creative Curse says anything,” Blake chuckled.

_“Nah, the Creative Curse’s Wishing something like sudden, explosive diarrhea on the idgit while they’re on a date or something,”_ she snickered.

“Note to Self–don’t ever piss off the missus so she Curses me like _that,”_ the young trucker said. “But I gotta go–got a coworker looking at me like I’ve lost my fuckin’ mind, and this load’s not gonna haul itself, after all.”

_“Ya better just come back to me in one piece,”_ Maci told him. _“’Cuz I swear to every Deity that’ll listen, if ya make me have to plan your funeral, I’ma Resurrect your ass and kill it twelve more Times before I do!”_

“Just my ass?” he asked, unable to help the smartass grin that crossed his face.

_“Ya know what I meant!”_ the young woman laughed.

After telling her to at least text him once she stopped, whether it was at a hotel for the Night or ’cuz she’d made it all the way home, Blake got ready to go actually grab his load. Still, the guy who’d been getting settled into the rig next to him was shooting him curious looks, but he wasn’t about to Enlighten him as to who he’d been talking to. Practically no one at the company aside from his boss and the dispatcher even knew he was married, and he preferred to keep it that way.

Not only was he just a generally private guy, but he didn’t wanna go spreading that kinda news around, only for his wife to still leave him almost as soon as he did. Course, that was if he ultimately couldn’t Change her mind on getting their marriage annulled once she’d gotten what she wanted. There was still a chance that he could, and he wasn’t gonna blow it for himself by announcing his marriage prematurely.

Heaving a sigh as he closed his door, the young trucker fired up his rig so it could warm up a bit while he was putting his stuff in the sleeper. It wasn’t necessarily cold for late-Spring, early-Summer in Indiana, but he still didn’t like taking off to even get a load without letting it warm up first. These things’d a tendency to break down when one least expected–usually at the worst possible moment–and he wasn’t setting himself up for that kinda shit, if he didn’t have to.

* * *

Five hours later, Maci was finally back at the apartment she shared with her husband, even though they were more like roommates than spouses. She couldn’t help a deep, guttural groan as she managed to unfold herself from the driver’s seat of his car, almost feeling more like deck lumber than she didn’t as she straightened. Ten hours, give or take, on the road could be hell on just about anyone–but with the joint problems that’d made her agree to marry Blake in the first place, it was even more hell on her.

Much to her surprise, her neighbor Kyle just happened to be getting home from a decently late shift at work when she’d pulled in. As soon as he heard her groan, the young man was at her side to help her upstairs since he lived right next door to her. If she didn’t know any better, she’d have thought he was gonna try flirting with her, but something told her that was far from the case. If anything, he shoulda known the young trucker well enough to know that he wouldn’t take well to his neighbor flirting with his wife. Even if it didn’t go any further, it still woulda pissed him off, especially since he wasn’t much beyond her husband on paper, himself.

“All right, since I’m no idiot…” Kyle said after getting her settled on the couch. “Which room’s yours? And don’t try lying to me–I know you and Blake sleep in separate rooms, even though you’re married.”

Sighing, the young woman looked up at him. “That’s my room,” she told him, pointing toward the door behind her.

_“Mmmm.”_ He looked thoughtful for a minute. “The layout of my place’s mirror-image from this, so that’d be my roommate’s room in my apartment.”

Maci just kept her mouth shut, not wanting to put her foot in it, as it were.

“If ya need anything, just go pound on the far wall of Blake’s room three Times,” the young man told her. “My room’s right on the other side of the wall, so I’ll know to come check on ya withoutcha having to worry about waking my roommate or anything.”

“I guess that’ll work,” she responded with a smile. “I doubt I’ma be doing much for the rest of the Night, though.”

“I doubtedja would, but Blake told me while he was loading his shit in the car what a rough weekend you’d had,” Kyle chuckled. “Damn near begged me to keep an eye and ear out for ya when I’m not at work.”

“I could beat him utterly stupid for that,” the young woman groaned, her face turning a Light pink. “But I know he’s just looking out for me, which’s his saving Grace right now.”

“Look, not that I’m trying to stick my nose in where it doesn’t belong, but Blake’s a good man,” Kyle said. “I dunno what, if anything, is going on between y’all or not, but you’d be a fool to let him slip through your fingers.”

“Oh, while that might be true, _he’d_ be the bigger fool to let _me_ slip through his fingers,” Maci laughed. “I’m the kinda person that once I turn my back on someone, that’s it–the person’s as good as dead to me, even if they still draw breath.”

“If it weren’t getting so late–and I didn’t have to work tomorrow–I’d ask ya to elaborate on that,” the young man chuckled.

“Maybe some other Time, then,” she agreed, despite having no Intention of doing any such thing.

Nodding his agreement, Kyle made one last check as if to assure himself that she really was all right, then headed next door to his own apartment. The young trucker’d given him a spare key when they’d talked early that Morn, but he didn’t wanna freak her out by telling her so. If she was as paranoid about her safety as her husband claimed she was, that’d just prompt her into barricading the door–which wouldn’t be good, if he _did_ need to get in to check on her.

With her neighbor finally gone so that she could really and truly relax, the young woman pushed herself up off the couch and headed into the kitchen. She didn’t normally drink since she didn’t really like the feeling of being drunk, but tonight was gonna be an exception for her. Granted, she fully Intended to keep herself on a tight leash like she always did when she actually drank, but she needed the alcohol.

Considering she never drank with narcotics in her system and drinking while taking something as mild as Aleve’d never bothered her before, Maci wasn’t too worried about that. She wasn’t gonna worry herself over something that’d never hurt her before and let that stop her from getting a good buzz going. But she also Intended to stay relatively sober till she heard from her husband since he almost always called her whenever he stopped somewhere. They might not have anywhere near a conventional marriage, but he showed a few characteristics of a typical husband. One of those was acting a bit like a mother Hen when she wasn’t feeling good, but another was wanting to check in with her whenever he could.

Over the next couple hours, the young woman wound up downing a couple glasses of wine, the bottle of _rosé_ she’d bought hidden from her husband in her bedroom. She didn’t know how often Blake drank, but she wasn’t gonna buy herself something special like that–whether it was with _his_ money or not–and leave it where she wouldn’t get any of it. But that held the consequence of her being a bit more buzzed than she’d been aiming for when her phone suddenly started ringing. Judging by the ringtone it played, she knew damn good and well it was her husband, and she momentarily debated answering it.

_“Well, I see you’re still up,”_ the young trucker chuckled once the call connected.

“Prolly not for much longer,” Maci told him, unable to help a giggle.

_“Hell, I’m surprisedja haven’t crashed yet,”_ he told her. _“I know I would after ten hours on the road, alone.”_

“Didn’t bother taking any Percocet tonight, even though Kyle’d to help me upstairs,” the young woman said, trying to bite back more giggles.

_“What’s up with you?”_ Blake asked, suddenly sounding suspicious. _“You’re awfully giggly compared to normal.”_

“Guess those couple glasses of wine hit me a lil harder’n I thought,” she laughed. “Or maybe it was three glasses.”

_“I thoughtcha didn’t drink,”_ the young trucker said, now sounding confused.

“Not normally–hence why I’ma lightweight,” Maci explained. “And that’s why I’m not going beyond whatever I’ve already had unless I wanna be worshipping the Porcelain God later.”

_“At leastcha know your limit, I guess,”_ he conceded. _“But where the hell’dja get wine? God knows I don’t drink the stuff_ – _I prefer my hard liquor when I’ma drink.”_

“I usually prefer hard liquor, myself–particularly Jack and Jim–but I’ll sometimes get into a random girlie mood and want a good _rosé,”_ the young woman laughed. “That’s the only wine you’ll ever see me drink, though. White wine’s too dainty and tangy, and red’s too Dark and heavy for my taste.”

_“Which’s weird since I’ve noticed your taste in regular Grape juice’s the exact opposite,”_ Blake chuckled.

“Toldja I’ma book of contradictions, hon,” she snickered.

_“Go get some sleep before ya do something stupid, sweetheart,”_ the young trucker told her. _“I gotta catch a few Zs myself, or I’ma be in trouble in the Morn.”_

“Just text me when ya get up,” Maci said. “I don’t normally get hungover, butcha know how I am if ya wake me up when I’m sleeping good on a normal Day.”

Promising that he’d jot down a note to remind himself of that in the Morn, her husband was soon bidding her a good Night. As soon as the call was Ended and her phone locked, she pushed herself up so she could go rinse her glass out before practically toddling off to bed. She just didn’t feel like making sure it got washed tonight, but she’d been raised to at least rinse out something she Intended to leave in the sink overnight.

In her bathroom, the young woman decided she actually wanted a bubble bath before she headed off to bed for the Night. Since she didn’t normally get into such a girlie mood, she was blaming feeling that way tonight on such a long trip to Decatur, Indiana. Other than that, the only thing she could think of that’d make her settle into that kinda mood would be the fertile point of her cycle finally hitting her. At least her husband was on the road this week, though, or she’d have had a hard Time fighting off his advances due to her body screaming to just give in to him.

After allowing herself to simply relax in that Lavender-Honeysuckle bubble bath, Maci only took the Time to dry off before stumbling off to bed. There was no way she was staying up any later–she’d already been up for closeta fourteen hours, and roughly ten’d been spent on the road. Besides, she needed to sober up so she could start her search for a doctor the next Day, so sleep was necessary. Her last conscious Thought was that she hoped she found an actual rheumatologist, which’d be an even bigger help, before she passed out.

Two Days later, Maci walked outta the office of the rheumatologist she’d miraculously gotten an appointment with that very week. Normally, such things’d to be scheduled up to a month in advance, and sometimes it was even longer before there was an opening. However, the one she’d wound up finding after scouring the medical professionals of her area online for hours turned out to have a cancellation that she could easily be fit into, which worked out great for her. Still, one particular phrase was stuck in her craw, and not necessarily in a good way since it hadn’t exactly been used the way _she_ normally used it.

After a round of X-rays since that was often one of the ways used to diagnose just about any form of arthritis, the rhuematologist’d looked her dead in the eye. He’d said that normally, he was of the belief that age was but a number, and he usually didn’t think much of a patient’s age when they came in. But this was a strange case, ’cuz her X-rays depicted the skeleton of an eighty-something-Year-old, even though she was in her late-twenties.

She wasn’t quite sure she liked the man’s tone when he’d said that–if he hadn’t met her for himself already–he’d have assumed she was a far older woman. If not that, he’d have assumed the patient in question was lying about their age, for whatever reason–but her features proved her to be in her twenties, maybe her early-thirties at the most. What he was having trouble understanding–unless she really _did_ have rheumatoid arthritis–was how on Earth her skeleton’d sustained this level of damage for the age she said she was. There was no way someone in their twenties or thirties should have joints more befitting a person in their eighties, but there was no denying what he’d seen with his own eyes.

Grumbling as she climbed back into her husband’s car to head home, Maci couldn’t wait for the results of the blood work he’d also wanted to do to come back. There were several factorsta check for that’d all but definitively diagnose her as a chase of rheumatoid arthritis, like it or not. From there, they’d figure out if she’d had it since childhood, or if it was actually what they called an _adult-onset_ case.

In the meantime, she just wanted to go back home so she could stretch out and not have to do a damn thing for a while. After all, she was gonna have to drive back up to Decatur, Indiana in a few Days so she could pick Blake up from his company’s closest terminal. Not only that, but she wanted to get her head on straight before he called, let alone got home since she knew he was gonna ask how it’d gone. There was a lotta ground to cover, as it were, and she honestly didn’t wanna do such a thing over the phone, rather than in person. However, she also didn’t wanna explain something wrong to the young trucker, and besides, he might actually catch something in the paperwork that she’d missed. But either way, her hip was screaming at her again, and the young woman just wanted to get off her feet more than anything, even a chanceta have sex again.


	7. Six–Something More

Later that week when she picked him up from what she referred to as a _barn yard,_ Maci wasn’t surprised that the first question outta her husband’s mouth was how she’d been doing. It was pretty much a given that he’d ask right off the bat, considering the weekend she’d had immediately previousta him leaving. After all, not much else woulda stopped her from going with him when he’d to hit the road this Time, and both of them knew that as well as they knew their own names. Besides, she hadn’t told him how that doctor’s appointment’d gone–only that she’d been able to schedule one sooner than she’d expected.

Blake was pleasantly surprised to find out that she’d definitely gotten a diagnosis of _some_ form of arthritis, judging by the X-rays, alone. However, he _wasn’t_ surprised that they wouldn’t have the first inkling as to exactly what type till the blood work came back, which should be in a few Days. At the most, it might take a couple more weeks before they got the results, but it was still sooner than he’d been expecting, that was for sure.

What the young woman _didn’t_ tell him on their drive home from Decatur, Indiana was that–at the recommendation of the specialist she’d seen–she’d already started the process of filing for disability. It was pretty clear just by looking at the X-rays that she’d never be able to work another Day in her Life, whether she wanted to or not. Even a part-Time job that kept her mostly off her feet wasn’t advisable, if not even four double-doses of Aleve in a single Day–which was far higher than the recommended dosage–was enough to combat her pain. No doubt it’d be a while before they found anything else that worked for her, and judging by that lil tidbit, such a thing might turn out to be impossible.

If he were completely honest with himself, the young trucker wanted his wife to be able to find something that worked better for her, but he doubted it’d happen. He’d seen the carnage of even cleaning up their small apartment and the toll it’d taken on her physically–and he knew climbing two flights of stairs wasn’t helping her. Now that he’d gotten the full update, that just sparked him into thinking even harder about something that’d come to mind during this most recent week on.

“Ya know, considering all that, I’ve been thinking about something while I was gone this week,” he said.

“Oh, Lord and Lady, above _and_ below,” Maci laughed. “You’ve been thinking– _that’s_ where the trouble starts with you.”

“Hey, look at how well the last Time I started thinking this hard worked out for ya!” the young trucker laughed. “Think you’d have a placeta live, or woulda gotten to see that specialist this soon, if _that_ split-second idea hadn’t worked out?”

“Fair enough,” she admitted, unable to help a smirk as she drove. “So, what the hell’ve ya been thinking about now, ya devil?”

“Finding somewhere elseta live,” Blake told her. “God knows all those stairs aren’t helping ya any.”

“Can’t disagree there, even if my knees and hip _would_ lemme,” the young woman mused. “Question is–where would we move to, based on finances?”

“Haven’t thought quite that far ahead yet,” he admitted. “I mean, ya swear you’re insistent on _not_ saying married once this kinda shit’s taken care of.”

Maci bit her lip to stop herself from saying that much was definitely true, especially if she actually won her disability claim.

“If that winds up being the case, whyddaI wanna move–especially if the only way we’re able to is by buying a house somewhere?” the young trucker asked. “No doubt that’d be even steeper than the thirteen hundred I’m paying every month for this apartment–and was, even _before_ we got married.”

“Yeah, can’t say I really blame ya there,” she sighed. “’Cuz as it stands, buying even a two-bed, two-bath house on just a quarter of an acre won’t really behoove ya.”

Blake didn’t say a word about how he’d hoped that telling her he was thinking of finding another place that was better suited to _both_ of them’d help Change her mind about that. She seemed just as determined to file for an annulment eventually as ever, and to be quite honest, he was starting to lose Hope. It’d been right at two months since they’d gotten married, and he was _still_ sleeping in what’d been his guest room like they were just roommates. While he’d hoped that’d Change sooner, rather than later, it didn’t seem like it was ever gonna–and he was getting tired of waiting around.

What he didn’t realize as they continued on I-Seventy-Five toward Dayton, Ohio was that the young woman he’d married was almost at her breaking point. Maci’d already been attracted to him the Day they said _I do_ and originally traded rings outside the Guilford County Courthouse. Ever since then, she’d slowly been falling for him a lil more at a Time–and the more he did for her as her husband, the more she fell for him.

But the thing with her was that every Time she was the first to say _I love you_ –no matter what language it was in–her relationship blew up in her face. It wasn’t long after doing such a thing that said relationship’d fall apart, and she’d wind up having to get herself through yet another breakup on her own. The last Time that’d happened back in 2013–long before she’d ever met this man–she’d found out the hard way how lil she got along with three-quarters of a bottle of Merlot. She didn’t ever wanna revisit that Night and the ensuing Morn afterward, and for one damn good reason not even Malcolm knew about. If she were to ever start drinking like that, her ability to keep herself on a leash’d no doubt go right out the window in one way or another.

Since she didn’t have a Death Wish by any means–’cuz she got the feeling that if her Self-Control slipped like that, she’d End up dead–she didn’t wanna set herself up for that kinda heartbreak again. Maybe it wasn’t exactly fair to Blake, especially after everything he’d done thus far to prove that he wasn’t like other guys, but she didn’t care. There was no sense in setting herself up for something that’d only End in Disaster for her, and the only thing that was gonna Change her mind was if _he_ said those three words first.

Startled outta her Thoughts by suddenly hearing a familiar ringtone through the car’s stereo system, Maci jumped as much as the young trucker did as she reached to answer the call. “Whassa cookin’, ya Fiery bitch?”

_“Glad to see ya haven’t lost your sense of humor!”_ an equally familiar voice laughed in response. _“Dare I ask where you’re at right now?”_

“Headed toward Dayton, Ohio,” she answered. “Ain’t been long picked Blake up from the barn yard.”

_“Sounds like I’ma have a decent wait, then,”_ the caller–obviously another woman–chuckled.

Blake cocked his brow as he shot his wife a look, but she looked as bewildered as he was.

“Whaddaya talkin’ ’bout, Aidan?” the young woman asked. “’Cuz ya lost me ’bout twenty miles back, and I don’t think a road map’s gonna help me catch up.”

_“Well, it was_ supposed _to be a surprise, but I just landed at CRW in Charleston not too long ago,”_ this Aidan chick laughed.

“Wait–Charleston, as in West Virginia?” Maci’s jaw dropped.

_“Pretty sure I ain’t in South Carolina, hon,”_ she laughed. _“Or anywhere else with a Charleston_ – _too Mountainous for that, given what I’m seeing out the window.”_

“Ya crazy bitch, you!” the young woman laughed. “Ya definitely know how to keep a girl on her toes!”

_“Ya know it!”_ Aidan retorted, and they could both veritably hear the grin no doubt splitting her face.

“Well, I guess Blake doesn’t get to veto having any guests,” she chuckled, giving said husband a sidelong look outta the corner of her eye. “I ain’t letting my friends sleep in a fuckin’ airport, by the Gods!”

“If I thought you’d any inkling about this already, I’d argue the point,” Blake said, rolling his eyes. “But I’d like to think I know ya well enough to tell when you’re genuinely surprised.”

_“That him?”_ the other woman asked.

“Yeah, kinda got my phone paired with the Bluetooth in his car since I’m driving,” Maci answered. “So, he’s heard every word we’ve both said.”

_“Good thing I didn’t get to teasing ya,”_ her friend snickered. _“And I mean that in a clean_ and _dirty way.”_

“But of course ya do,” the young woman groused, despite the smirk still on her face. “If there’s anything you and Bubba both love to do, it’s torment me about my sex Life.”

_“I think ya mean a lack thereof, sweetie!”_ Aidan crowed.

She didn’t bother trying to deny her friend’s claim, but she _was_ quick to Change the subject so her husband wouldn’t get on a roll, too. It’d be at least a three hours or so before they got anywhere near Charleston, depending on how fast she decided to drive. After all, they weren’t far from merging onto Highway Thirty-Five since there weren’t any interstates that went straight to Charleston without going all the way out to Akron or something. I-Seventy-Seven was the only one that led to the heart of that City that she knew of, but she’d have to go out a lot further East just to get to it.

Luckily, her friend was more than cool with waiting those few hours till the couple could pick her up, ’cuz it wasn’t like she’d be bored. The airport’d Wifi so she could at least do something online by way of entertaining herself, and it wasn’t like she couldn’t find food in the meantime, too. In fact, she said that once they hung up and she’d made a quick bathroom run, food sounded like the best idea since sliced bread to her.

Maci couldn’t help a laugh as she warned her not to eat _too_ much, ’cuz by the Time they got to the couple’s apartment, she and her husband were no doubt gonna be starving. They’d grabbed a small lunch before leaving Decatur, but it wouldn’t last much longer than the Time it’d take them to drive home. Whether they teamed up or she did so by herself so he could relax for a bit, no doubt dinner’d be started almost as soon as they walked in the door.

* * *

Blake’d wound up knocking out for a nap on the ride home after his wife’d Ended her phone call, so he hadn’t realized they’d arrived at CRW at first. Waking up to realize he was alone in his car again’d startled him at first, but he’d quickly gotten his bearings and figured out why that was the case this Time. Left to wait for his wife as she picked up her friend, she no doubt hadn’t wanted to disturb him when she was sure he was exhausted after a week on.

Now that he was awake again, though, he felt the need to stretch in a bad way, considering how much he sat on his ass. Granted, it was niceta have a job where he got to sit on his ass all Day and get paid for it, but that didn’t mean it was always a good thing. Stepping outta his car and maybe walking a few laps’d no doubt help with that, especially since he couldn’t exactly leave yet.

Just as he lowered his arms from where he’d raised them over his head–which’d dragged up the hem of his shirt to reveal a small strip of his belly–he heard Maci’s familiar voice. Glancing to his left brought a smile to his face when he saw her emerging from the airport, clearly chatting with her friend. But while he hadn’t known exactly what to expect outta her friend, he could safely say that he certainly _hadn’t_ expected her to have a shock of coppery hair. The closer she got to his car, the more he realized that she looked familiar for some reason, but he couldn’t place why off the top of his head.

“I see _Sleeping Beauty_ decided to wake up without needing a kiss,” his wife chuckled once she was within earshot of him.

“Yeah, I guess ya could say that,” Blake agreed. “I’m guessing this is your friend that calledja earlier?”

“Aidan Thorne,” the ginger responded, holding out her hand once she’d let go of her suitcase.

“Blake Shannon,” he answered, accepting the handshake. “Let’s get your stuff in the trunk, which’s prolly gonna take a lil bit of Tetris.”

“Good thing I mastered that game Ages ago, huh?” Aidan laughed.

“Total _Eighties Child,_ hon,” Maci told him when he cocked a brow. “Ya think _I_ listen to a lotta hair Metal? This chick listensta five Times as much, easily.”

“Hey, I _grew up_ in the eighties!” she retorted, her grin never slipping. _“You’re_ the one who’s the freak!”

“I was _raised_ by a fellow _Eighties Child,_ though,” the young woman shot back with a grin of her own. “And them’s fightin’ words with us.”

“Oh, really?” Aidan cocked a brow curiously as they started rearranging stuff in the trunk to fit her suitcase in.

“Never toldja how Blake and I originally met, did I?” she countered, that grin turning downright devious.

“Uh, sweetheart…” He wasn’t too sure he wanted this woman to know certain things about him, especially this soon after they’d met.

“Chill out, hon–I wasn’t actually gonna say it outside the car,” Maci assured him. “But she knows I’m into _alternative practices_ –and I don’t just mean my Spiritual choices, either.”

“Oh, _that_ shit,” the ginger laughed. “Yeah, I can see why he’d be a lil wary of folks he doesn’t know very well being aware of that, especially with his job.”

The young trucker wasn’t exactly sure what she meant as they closed the hatch and climbed into his car, his wife once again behind the wheel. He thought he’d a pretty good idea without having to ask, but he didn’t exactly wanna make an ass of himself by doing so, either. It turned out that he was on the right track, though, when Aidan admitted to knowing he was a trucker and thought that didn’t mix very well with folks knowing he was a kinkster. She actually admitted that her first Thought was that he’d the potential to tie somebody up in his sleeper to abduct and do unspeakable thingsta at the first available opportunity.

Blake couldn’t help a laugh as his wife aimed his car toward home, saying that that was far from how he operated as a Dom. Whether sexual or not, he liked his partners completely willing–otherwise, he’d have no doubt tied said wife to his bed so he could have his dirty way with her. Partners weren’t any fun, if they were even the slightest bit unwilling, and he wasn’t all that fond of what kinksters called a _brat_.

Upon pulling up outside their apartment building, he couldn’t help heaving a sigh of relief that was quickly followed by a happy groan as he unfolded himself from his passenger’s seat. Even though he and Maci were more like roommates than they weren’t most of the Time, he was always glad when he got home from a week or two of runs. If nothing else, he could at least stretch out on something more comfortable than that damn rig sleeper, not to mention get a shower every Night, if he wanted one.

“It ain’t much, but it suits the two of us well enough,” his wife chuckled as they finally walked into their apartment.

“It’s actually nicer than I was expecting,” Aidan admitted with a chuckle of her own. “I mean, I knew better than to expect something straight outta the ghetto, but…”

“Not something quite this nice on a trucker’s salary?” he asked, grinning as he closed and locked the front door behind them. “Yeah, it’s definitely a bit on the pricey side at thirteen hundred a month–and that’s not including utilities or anything.”

The ginger’s eyes widened when he admitted that.

“And before ya ask, I was already living here when Maci and I got married–when I’m not on the road, that is,” Blake clarified. “So, it’s not like I gave up something smaller and cheaper just for her.”

“Well, at least there’s that,” she said. “’Cuz whether it embarrasses her or not, if there’s one thing I know about Maci, it’s that she doesn’t like feeling like somebody’s charity case–even when she _is.”_

“Shut up and c’mon before I make ya share a bathroom with him,” Maci said, her face Beet-red.

“Ya know I don’t really care either way about that kinda shit,” her friend laughed, even as she headed off behind her. “Long as I’ve a placeta piss and shit that _ain’t_ in the Woods, I’m good.”

The young trucker didn’t catch his wife’s response, but if he knew her even half as well as he’d like to think he did, it was no doubt something smartass. Prolly along the lines of _You’d piss and shit in the Woods over pissing or shitting your britches,_ given what a Southern smartass she was. Still, he couldn’t help a smirk and a shake of his head as he headed into his own bedroom so he could put his stuff down.

Given that he never really bothered with unpacking much of anything on his weeks off, Blake didn’t bother deviating from that particular norm tonight. The only things he really bothered with were his dirty clothes, and that was just so he could do a load of laundry, rather than smelling like a sweaty gym bag on the road. Fuck, if his wife came with him again next Time, she’d damn near hose him down in his Axe, if he did that and he knew it. She generally didn’t care about how folks smelled, but once she reached her limit on what she could tolerate–well, she made no bones about saying so, even in non-verbal ways.

Once that load of laundry was going–along with what his wife’d left in the washer till she’d enough to actually run it–he headed into the kitchen to get started on dinner. She hadn’t been kidding about saying that by the Time they got home, that small lunch prolly woulda worn off, ’cuz he was definitely starving now. Judging by the look on her face as she and her friend emerged from her room, Maci was only a couple steps away from getting what they called _hangry,_ herself.

Dinner was relatively simple that Night, considering that neither of them were feeling up to anything _too_ fancy, or that was gonna take more than a few minutesta throw together. Aidan didn’t really seem like she minded in the slightest, which he was thankful for since it meant their lack of wowing her prolly wouldn’t leave a bad impression. Then again, she seemed pretty understanding since she obviously knew what he did for a living, so maybe that was why she didn’t seem to care. By the Time they were done eating and the dishes’d been done, though, he was simply too exhausted to give even half a fuck. To that End, the young trucker bid both women a good Night and headed off to his room so he could crash and hopefully get a good Night’s sleep.

“Ya _seriously_ haven’t done anything besides a handful of mostly-chaste kisses–with _that_ fine specimen of male right in front of ya? Woman, are ya _fuckin’ daffy!?”_

Maci couldn’t help a giggle at her friend’s question as they sat on her bed, having decided it was better to move their powwow to her own bedroom once her husband headed off to bed. After all, _his_ bedroom was on the other side of the living room wall on the front side of the apartment, and so was his bathroom. Well, there was a short hall just past his door before one got into the actual bedroom, but that was beside the point since he was exhausted and needed his sleep.

“Ya ain’t gotta tell _me_ what a fine specimen of male he is,” she said with a grin. “Wolf might not’ve walked off the cover of _GQ_ or anything, but I certainly wouldn’t kick him outta bed unless there was more room on the floor.”

“Neither would I,” Aidan told her matter-of-factly. “Hell, that goes for the walls, the kitchen counter, and even the dining room table–and I ain’t too into _experimenting_ like that unless ya count a picnic table bench! Jesus, if I thought he wouldn’t slap a rape charge on me, _I’d_ go in there and ride him till his eyes were rolling Independently of each other!”

The young woman couldn’t help practically choking on her drink, which she’d made the mistake of trying to sip just as she said that.

“Sorry, hon,” she chuckled, patting her back as she coughed.

“You’re just as fuckin’ incorrigible as _he_ is,” Maci grumbled once she’d caught her breath.

“Ya know ya love it,” the ginger teased with an Impish grin. “Prolly as much as ya love being stuffed with a thick, juicy sausage.”

Squawking at her friend’s continued teasing, she grabbed her pillow from the head of her bed and whomped her across the face with it. Aidan couldn’t help a laugh that bordered on a maniacal cackle, her grin never leaving her face as she snatched it away to Return the gesture. Once she’d gotten a couple good blows of her own in, she chucked the pillow to the floor, which’d make it harder for the young woman to reach again later.

“So, if you’re _that_ attracted to him–and have been since ya met him–why haven’tcha done something about it?” she asked once they’d settled down. “I mean, you’re married to him now, for the Love of the Gods!”

“Ya know how I feel about sex and Romance,” Maci told her. “I don’t want any guy–Wolf, included–for just his dick any more than I want a guy to want _me_ for only pussy.”

“Hon, I’m pretty sure that ain’t the case here,” the ginger said. “I’m pretty sure that while, _yeah,_ he wants pussy, Wolf wants _waaaay_ more than that outta ya.”

“And how can ya be so sure about that?” she asked. “I know you’re into those crime shows like I am and all, butcha just met him this Eve.”

“Body language and a person’s eyes say a lot more than their mouths ever will–ya know that,” Aidan reminded her. “And I’m pretty observant when I wanna be.”

“Whaddaya mean by that?” The young woman cocked a brow at her curiously.

Not in the mood to mince words with her, she told her what she saw of their relationship from an outsider’s perspective. To her, Blake definitely seemed like a horny man–he was a young, red-blooded male, after all–but there was more to his actions and expressions. He not only doted on her like a man in Love would–especially if their partner’d physical limitations that they didn’t–but his eyes told her so much more than that. What she’d seen in those orbs that were just as Dark as her friend’s–well, it could definitely scare off a lesser woman, that was for sure.

Lurking in the depths of his eyes where only those truly adept at reading others’d see, there was not only Love, but genuine hurt. It was pretty obviousta her that he was actually wounded every Time his wife pulled away from him even trying to hug her, let alone anything more than that. But there was also a pretty obvious frustration that bespoke him slowly reaching the End of his rope with her hesitancy and skittishness.

Maci couldn’t help a wince at the Thought of even accidentally hurting her husband like that, ’cuz she tried not to do that to others since she’d suffered that kinda thing, herself. The main reason why she refused to get closeta him–even in a physical sense–was so she wouldn’t lead him on since she’d every Intention of having their marriage annulled eventually. If she didn’t allow herself to get too close and lead him on now–well, it’d hurt at the moment, but not as much as later on, if she’d led him on. Call it twisted or ass-backward, but it was her way of trying to protect him as much as she was trying to protect herself through the Insanity of agreeing to wed for the sole purpose of getting healthcare and outta North Carolina.

Aidan couldn’t help a groan as she flopped backward on the bed when she told her that, even though she’d a very valid point. Leading someone on was never a good idea, no matter how one looked at it–but neither was continuously hurting them, even unintentionally, just ’cuz one was scared of something. But despite getting where she was coming from and at least somewhat agreeing with her, she leveled a hard look on her friend once she sat up so she could see her.

“Hon, I swear to the Gods–if ya practically Destroy that boy just ’cuz you’re scared after being hurt a few too many Times and want something more than just sex, I’ll never speak to ya again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been a while since I've updated this one, I know–I blame _Writer's Block_ since I'd a title beyond just a number for the chapter in mind, but couldn't figure out how I wanted said chapter to go... Hopefully, I'll get to work on it again tomorrow while the Birth Creature's at work, and there'll be even more action than this...  
> ~Firefly


	8. Seven–Tell Me We'll Be All Right

The ensuing two months were somehow even harder than the two that’d led up to Aidan’s visit, which’d occurred in the first week of August. Everything seemed to be lighthearted and fun with just a slight underlining of tension while she was in West Virginia, which wasn’t exactly outside the norm. After all, Blake was used to a lil bit of tension more often than not–how couldn’t he be with an errant wife who refused to sleep in the same bed for even cuddles, let alone more? He’d have been a sad and stupid man, if he hadn’t felt that slight bit of a tension from the Day he got married, and damn well he knew it.

But almost as soon as the ginger’d left to Return to her home outside Kansas City, Missouri, there’d been almost a complete one-eighty in Maci. She’d gone from being a more or less vibrant woman with a stubborn streak to something that seemed almost more akin to sullen and depressed. Not only that, but she almost never came outta her room anymore unless she was sure he was abed when he wasn’t on the road.

In the first week of October–literally ten Days or less before his wife’s twenty-seventh birthday–the young trucker finally reached his breaking point. But rather than starting a fight by doing something stupid–like confronting her about her personality Change, or taking off his wedding band in a clear sign that their marriage was over–he decided on a different route. It might be a lil more unconventional than he’d have normally gone with, but a perfect opportunity presented itself that he just couldn’t resist. Besides, he felt that this route’d get him far more truthful answers than trying to talk to his wife, whom he already knew would just clam up and threaten Violence, if he didn’t quit pushing her buttons.

When one of his runs took him into a relatively small Town about fifty miles outside Kansas City, he decided to give Aidan a call. He’d found out when his wife’d gotten called to her doctor’s officeta go over the results of her blood work during her friend’s visit that the woman lived about that far from the City that practically kissed the Missouri-Kansas line. She wouldn’t tell him exactly where she lived, which was perfectly fine with him, but he knew she lived in the area–and would no doubt be more honest with him.

“Hey, Aidan.” Blake rose from the bench he’d settled on outside the Zaxby’s that was across from the back side of the Walmart he’d been sent to. “Thanks for meeting up with me.”

“Ain’t gotta thank me, Blake,” the ginger said, moving to give him a hug.

“Scared of getting in a rig with a guy ya barely know?” he asked with a chuckle. “’Cuz I’d really rather not have this conversation on a sidewalk, if I can help it.”

“I’d like to think I know ya well enough by now to know whether you’re gonna try something unsavory or not,” Aidan laughed. “Not to mention I could easily kick your ass, and I’ve still got that wicked knife you’re scared shitless of.”

The young trucker shivered at the memory of the double-bladed knife that kinda reminded him of folded Dragon wings, which extended from either End of what’d otherwise be a set of brass knuckles, if there’d been actual finger holes.

“Yep, that reaction right there tells me all I need to know,” she said, a shit-eating grin on her face. “So, c’mon before I Change my mind and go back home since I live only a couple miles from here.”

“Ma’am, yes, ma’am,” Blake chuckled, snapping off a salute as crisp as if he were saluting one of his old drill sergeants.

At his rig, he opened the passenger’s door for her, waiting to see if she’d need any help with climbing up like his wife often did. He knew she wasn’t nearly as physically-limited as Maci was, but she’d also mentioned something about messing up her knee some Years ago. For all he knew, that’d throw off her ability to climb up into a rig–and subsequently back down–and he didn’t want her getting hurt.

Once Aidan was settled in the seat, the young trucker closed the door behind her before rounding the massive hood to the driver’s side. He was quicker to haul himself up than she was, but then again, he was used to such an action, considering how much he’d to climb in and outta this monster. In fact, he’d gotten so used to it that holding the bag containing his lunch in his teeth as he did so was no problem for him. That made him grin as he settled in the driver’s seat, careful not to kick the gear shifter as he turned to face her, which gave him more room to eat since his steering wheel wasn’t in the way.

“So, what’s up thatcha don’t wanna talk about on a sidewalk?” she asked curiously. “And don’t tell me nothing–I’m better at reading folks than that.”

“I wasn’t gonna say it’s nothing, ’cuz it’s definitely something,” Blake assured her, digging out his lunch. “I wouldn’t have askedja to meet up with me while I was in the area–even though I didn’t realize ya live only a couple miles from here–if it were nothing.”

The ginger–whom he’d realized coulda been a female version of Cinderella’s Tom Keifer when he was young since he’d met her–merely cocked a brow at him.

“I normally wouldn’t pry, but what the hell’d you and Maci talk about when ya came out to West Virginia a couple months ago?” he asked, deciding to just be blunt. “’Cuz she did a total one-eighty right after ya left, and she’s been like that ever since.”

“Whaddaya mean by a total one-eighty, exactly?” Aidan countered. “’Cuz that girl’s moods can shift quicker than the Wind sometimes, and she’s damn good at hiding it when she wantsta.”

“I mean, she went from being relatively vibrant with a stubborn streak to downright depressed–hell, I’d almost say suicidal, if I’m honest,” the young trucker sighed. “I’ve almost wanted to drag her off to a shrink one of the Times I’ve been home, but I haven’t wanted to get myself in trouble with complex management for busting her door down since she refusesta come outta her room unless I’m asleep or on the road.”

“Damn it–I was afraid this was gonna happen.” She grumbled to herself as she shoved her coppery hair back outta her face.

“Whaddaya mean, Aidan?” Blake looked beyond confused, pausing in taking the first bite of his sammich. “’Cuz now I’m totally lost.”

Turning brown eyes prolly about the shade of caramel back up at him, the ginger started going over what they’d talked about, starting with her very first Night in West Virginia. He couldn’t help flushing slightly when she admitted that while he normally wasn’t _her type,_ she could make an exception to her _no booty-calls_ rule for him. When a woman said something like that to him, it was certainly a confidence boost, but it could be a lil embarrassing sometimes, depending on who said it.

Aidan minced no words when she told him that she’d seen just how much he loved his wife, her friend, that very first Night. She also minced no words when she told him that she could easily see how hurt he was every Time Maci pulled away from even a platonic hug, the frustration glittering in his eyes ’cuz of that and a lack of sex. Course, after right at four months of marriage and not a single lick of action, she didn’t exactly blame him for being frustrated with the latter part. If she were completely honest, she wasn’t too sure how her friend could settle for just sex toys when she’d a perfectly good flesh-and-blood male ready and willing to pound her straight through the bed–and prolly through the floor into the apartment below them, too.

“Well, I’m not too sure I’d be _that_ rough on her, considering her rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis,” the young trucker admitted, his face turning a deeper pink than before.

“Ya know what I mean,” she laughed. “I’ma writer as much as Maci is–I can get a lil zealous with my descriptions sometimes.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Blake chuckled before stuffing the last bite of his sammich in his mouth.

“But I can tell ya right now, sex ain’t the only thing Maci’s looking for,” the ginger continued as he chewed.

“Then what _is_ she looking for?” he asked after swallowing and taking a sip of his drink. “’Cuz other than money, I can’t figure it out for the Life of me, if she doesn’t want sex.”

“Have ya ever paid attention to the Music she listenesta at any given Time?” Aidan countered.

“How can I when she usually uses earbuds around me?” He grumbled in frustration as he gently smacked his steering wheel for emphasis. “Not to mention usually locks her laptop when she’s not using it so I can’t go browse through her local library when she’s asleep or something.”

“Christ on a crutch, this is worse than I thought,” the ginger groaned. Shifting in the passenger’s seat, she pulled her phone outta her back pocket. “Thank the Gods I’ve a better memory than some gimme credit for.”

Blake cocked a brow, unsure of what she meant as she unlocked the device and pulled up her browser.

“This is one she’s been listening to a lot lately,” she told him. “Not really my thing, but then again, I tend to like the older country–like Johnny Cash, old–if I’ma listen to anything outta that genre.”

“All right.” The young trucker simply nodded as she tapped on a video link, his eyes widening when he heard how slow and sappy the intro to the song was. “Fuck, that’s downright depressing.”

“Too well I know it,” Aidan agreed with a chuckle. “Just listen to the lyrics, though, and maybe it’ll give ya a hint.”

Nodding, he simply shut his mouth so they could wait out said intro, given that he didn’t wanna miss a single word once they kicked in. Their wait was only about ten seconds or so, and the voice he heard was fairly deep for a woman’s–just like his wife’s. It also held an accent even thicker than hers–till she got pissed off, that is–but he’d no trouble making out the words as this woman sang.

_“I got…miles o’ trouble spreadin’ far and wide_ – _bills on the table gettin’ higher and higher… They just keep on comin’, there ain’t no End in sight_ – _I’m just holdin’ on tight…”_

Blake’s brow furrowed, considering that other than her phone bill and the bill from UNC–both of which _he_ was paying for her–he didn’t get how this lyric could relate to his wife.

_“I’ve got…someone who loves me more than…words can say_ – _and I’m thankful for that…each and every Day… And if I…count all my Blessings, I get a smile on my face_ – _still, it’s hard to find Faith…”_

He couldn’t help a wince any more than the ginger could as that started getting into the Emotional side of things.

_“But if you can look in my eyes, and tell me we’ll be alright… If ya promise never to leave…ya just might make me believe…”_

Glancing up at her, the young trucker saw an odd look on Aidan’s face, but he didn’t question it as she let the song continue.

_“It’s just…Day-to-Day, tryna make Ends meet_ – _what I’d give for an address out on Easy Street… I need a…deep margarita to help me unwind, leave my troubles behind…”_

At that point, she paused the song so they were left in a slightly tense, if companionable Silence so he could ponder what he’d just heard. He wasn’t too sure how to make sense of the lyrics and their meaning when applied to his wife, which was just as frustrating as a lack of sex. They could mean just about anything in nearly any context, and he wasn’t too sure what, if anything he should assume. Considering how lil he knew his wife and the woman she was at heart, he didn’t wanna guess wrong and make an ass outta both of them by simply assuming anything.

“Considering you’re still looking confused, let’s try one that’s a lil more up my alley,” Aidan chuckled.

“Not too sure how it’s gonna help,” he admitted as she went back to Google so she could look up whatever song was in question now.

“’Cuz the verses and chorus of this one mixed with the chorus of the one I just played oughta be pretty Enlightening for even a rock,” the ginger laughed.

“Guess we’ll see, won’t we?” Blake asked, a slight smile starting to curve his lips.

“Well, this is another one of Maci’s favorite songs when she’s in a particularly sappy mood,” she told him as she tapped the screen of her phone.

“At this point, it could be sappy and sweet, or a total rocker–I wouldn’t care which, to be quite honest,” the young trucker said as they waited for the Youtube link to load.

Holding up her hand, Aidan gestured for him to shut up as the piano intro started, to which he simply nodded. Said intro was ridiculously long, as far as he was concerned, but he could certainly see–or rather, hear–how it’d set the mood for some sappy and Romantic shit. But he was surprised when the lyrics kicked in, making him realize it was most likely a Poison song, judging by the voice he heard.

Blake couldn’t help a slight wince as he listened, the ginger next to him letting the entire song play this Time instead of pausing it after the second repetition of the chorus. His eyes widened as he pretty much heard everything he’d ever wanted to say to his wife and then some when it came to their relationship. Maybe this was exactly what he needed to get through her thick head, which was no doubt what even Malcolm’d meant when he’d told him to pay attention to what she listened to. After all, the style of Music could give away her mood, but the lyrics could give away what was going on in her mind when it came to her Thoughts.

Glancing up, he almost wanted to smack the smirk off the face of the woman sitting in front of him, but he knew better than that. Not only had he been raised better than to hit a woman–even if she deserved it–but he knew it was meant as more of a knowing smirk than not. If she could really read people as well as she said she could, no doubt she already knew that he’d figured out what she was trying to tell him–or that he was getting pretty close, anywhore.

Sure enough, what the young trucker said once he’d gathered enough of his wits was more or less exactly what Aidan’d been trying to tell him with those two songs. His wife basically wanted to hear him say that he was in it for the long haul, as well as actually prove it through his actions. Sure, buying them a better, matching wedding set and her promise ring bespoke a lot, but she also tended to find such gestures more on the insincere side. Considering that a lotta men were known for buying their wives pretty baublesta make up for shit they did behind their backs–like having affairs left, right, and Center–she couldn’t blame her for finding _that_ kinda gesture insincere more often than she didn’t.

“All right, I guess that makes sense,” Blake admitted. “I didn’t really think about it like that when I did that.”

“Well, Maci tendsta be more than a lil left of Center like that,” the ginger told him. “Whatcha think’s the right thing to do with a woman’s usually the _wrong_ thing with her, ’cuz she’s almost the total opposite of most women.”

“So I’ve started to figure out,” he chuckled wryly.

“Now, lemme ask ya this.” Aidan leveled a fairly serious look on him. “Just how _in-tune_ with your Emotions are ya?”

“I’d like to say I’m pretty in-tune with them,” the young trucker answered. “Not to the point that I’ma burst into tears over every lil thing, but enough to show I’m just human.”

“Question is, how much do ya actually show it?” she asked. “’Cuz ya strike me as a military man, or one who’s a similar unbending kinda attitude when it comesta that shit.”

“Well, I _was_ in the Army at one point,” Blake told her. “That’s prolly why ya get that Air from me.”

“Meaning ya prolly haven’t said a certain three wordsta her,” the ginger mused.

“Well, no–I don’t say _I love you,_ if I don’t mean it.” His brow furrowed as he wondered where she was going with that. “And I’m not gonna without knowing the other person loves me, too.”

“Jesus fuck.” Aidan knocked her head against the window next to her. “No Wonder y’all’re having so many fuckin’ problems.”

“Huh?” The young trucker now looked confused. “What the hell’s _that_ supposed to mean?”

Lifting her head from the glass, she actually spun in the passenger’s seat so their knees were touching as she grabbed both his hands and looked him dead in the eye. Blake’s jaw dropped as she once again minced no words when she told him that if that was gonna be his mentality, they were gonna remain at a stalemate till his wife finally filed for that annulment she wanted and left him. Maci was _never_ gonna be the first to say those three words again, ’cuz according to her, such a thing _always_ blew up in her face shortly afterward.

“Don’t believe me? Call Malcolm and ask _him,”_ the ginger told him. “He’s the one I got to confirm it after she told me, herself.”

“Ya gotta be shitting me,” Blake said, managing to get his left hand back so he could rake his hair outta his face.

“No more than I’m taking a shit in your seat,” she chuckled.

“Ya better not since it’s not actually _my_ rig,” the young trucker warned her.

“Ya know what I meant, ya dolt,” Aidan laughed, quickly sobering. “No doubt she’s been waiting all this Time for _you_ to say those three wordsta _her_ before she says them to you.”

“And with me pretty much waiting on the same thing since it’s too damn hard to read her sometimes…” He heaved a heavy sigh. “Yeah, no fuckin’ Wonder she won’t lemme closer than just a roommate she occasionally hugs and gives chaste kisses to.”

“Now, ya just gotta figure out what to do about it,” the ginger told him, gently squeezing the hand she still held.

Blake’s expression quickly settled into one of a man determined to right his wrongs–not that he’d really done anything wrong, such as having an affair–and save his marriage.

“Oh, boy–I know _that_ look,” she chuckled.

“I think I know what I’ma do,” the young trucker said, the wheels in his head clearly turning at warp speed. “And to be honest, I think it’s gonna take having you and Malcolm both there to help do damage Control, if things don’t go the way I’m hoping they do.”

Aidan cocked a brow as he let go of her other hand so he could reach into his back pocket, from which he produced his own phone. She didn’t try to ask him to elaborate as he unlocked the device and clearly pulled up his contacts, ’cuz she got the feeling he was about to call the man in question. If that was the case, no doubt he’d explain it to both of them at once so he wouldn’t have to repeat himself, which’d certainly be at least a lil helpful right now.

Malcolm was quick to tell him that he and his own girlfriend were actually not far from the couple’s apartment. They were prolly an hour or so South of Charleston, if he’d done his math right, since they hadn’t long passed where Interstates Seventy-Seven and Sixty-Four merged. Said interstates wouldn’t split again till they were pretty much in the heart of West Virginia’s Capitol, which was mere minutes from said apartment.

Blake couldn’t help heaving a sigh of relief when he told him that, ’cuz that was pretty much exactly what he wanted to hear right now. The fact that he and Sadi were headed up to West Virginia to help celebrate his wife’s birthday the following week just made the Timing all the more perfect. It wasn’t like he’d have to beg and sweet-talk him into making a trip up North to help him with his plan, which he was quick to start explaining since the ginger was still shooting him a confused look. Despite being rudimentary since he hadn’t fleshed out all the details yet, it was relatively simple when one boiled it down to its foundation–which was what he wanted right now.

The young trucker explained that he Intended to get Maci’s female best friend to help him with damage Control since she was the only other person who knew his wife fairly well. His Intent wasta finally say those three words he hadn’t bothered saying, but not in a way that’d seem insincere to her–he hoped. At some point during the following week, he planned to take her out somewhere, whether it was a dive bar or an impromptu camping trip behind their apartment building. Maybe that’d help prove that he meant every word he said, whether it garnered him a Night of dirty, rather impure fun or not.

Both parties he was practically begging to help him were quick to agree with his tentative plan, both thinking it was as good an idea as any. The younger man agreed to keep his wife relatively entertained and completely oblivious till his arrival, which prolly wouldn’t be for another Day or so. Aidan agreed to help run damage Control if she took things the wrong way and tried to take off on the grounds that he was just telling her what she wanted to hear, rather than the Truth of how he really felt about her. With those two on board, he was quick to End his phone call so he could follow said ginger to her house, considering she hadn’t planned on leaving for West Virginia for another couple Days. Catching a ride with him’d be cheaper than a round flight, and she was more than agreeable since her friends clearly needed some help.

On the short drive to the ginger’s home so he could take her back with him to get his trailer, Blake just hoped he wasn’t making the biggest mistake of his Life with this crazy plan. The last thing he wanted was for Maci’s resolve to have their marriage annulled Strengthened, given that he was trying to Change her mind. But if this didn’t work, that was it–he was taking off his wedding band and calling it quits before it was too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credits for the song lyrics used in this chapter go to the country artist, Sugarland. After all, they're from the song _Just Might (Make Me Believe)_ from their 2005 debut album, _Twice the Speed of Life_.
> 
> For anyone interested, check the Wattpad version of this chapter–I included a pic of the evil-looking knife Blake's supposed to be scared of, which also scares the absolute shit outta me, there. And just like I did over on Wattpad, gotta give a shout-out to the friend that provided that pic–many thanks, ya crazy bitch! LOL!  
> ~Firefly


End file.
